Elevator Music
by HuddyJoy0524
Summary: What would happen if House and Cuddy were trapped together...in an elevator? Would they kill each other or learn how they really feel about one another? This story is set immediately after "Wilson." This is a HUDDY but there will be LUDDY too.
1. Power Outage

**Elevator Music**

_This fic will be shorter than "Stacy's Return" and is independent of it. Special thanks to Brighid45 for giving me the idea for this story. It may not be a closet, but elevators work just as well. : ) I'm on winter break so chapters should be coming to you relatively quickly. As always, please R&R! _

Power Outage

House limped into the hospital and glanced down at his watch. 8:55. He walked up to the circulation desk and leaned over the counter. "Psssst. Psssst!"

A nurse looked up at him, annoyed. "What do you want?"

"Is Cuddy in yet?"

The woman rolled her eyes and pulled out the call log looking at it. "No. She isn't due in for another five minutes or so."

House sighed in relief. "Thank you Nancy."

The woman ignored him and went back to her computer as House limped quickly to the elevators and then into his room. He took his coat off and sat down on the couch. He put his head in his hands.

Suddenly House heard the door to his office open and he looked up, alarmed, and put his hand to his chest when he realized it was just Wilson.

"Wow House. We're a little jumpy today," Wilson smiled a little and let the door shut behind him. "Are you waiting for the wrath of Cuddy?"

House looked down at his hands and said nothing. Wilson sighed. "House. I bought the loft. It's under my name. You're just living there."

House continued to say nothing and Wilson's jaw dropped. "You're…you're actually…speechless! Does this mean you are actually feeling…guilt?" He looked shocked at his friend who scoffed. "No! I just don't feel like listening to her screeching today."

"Uh huh." Wilson nodded knowingly and crossed his arms. "Listen, House. Do you want me to sell the loft back to Bonnie? We can always…"

"No!" House turned to Wilson. "Don't."

"Well…?" Wilson looked at House, an eyebrow raised. "You're acting funny about this. Three days ago you were happy about it."

"She hasn't been to work in two days," House said fiddling around with the ball on his desk. "She never skips work. She comes to work sick!"

"So…she's upset." Wilson shrugged. "She'll get over it right?"

House looked up at Wilson and nodded quickly before looking back down. "Yeah. It's not like that was the only loft in New Jersey. Besides she doesn't REALLY want to move in with Lucas."

Wilson opened his mouth and decided not to argue with House's rationality. He bit his lip. "House. She's going to come in to work today. And she's going to know. Bonnie told me that she called her and Bonnie had to tell her that we bought it."

House nodded. "Exactly. That's why I need to hide."

"Actually I think it might be better for you NOT to hide. The longer you hide, the angrier she is going to be."

House looked down at his best friend and knew that he had better listen to him. He sat down at his desk and began rolling the ball around again. Wilson walked back to his office, his stomach in a tense knot.

MD

House looked down at his watch again. It was 9:30. She still hadn't been up to see him. He grew worried. She hadn't skipped work again…had she? House glanced up and then saw her walking down the hallway towards his office. Trying to act cool, he leaned back in his chair and twirled the ball around in his hands.

Cuddy approached House's door and he immediately frowned. She was walking slowly and her head was not erect like normal. Her shirt hadn't been ironed and she hadn't straightened her hair. It was curly and pulled back in a ponytail. Cuddy slowly walked into House's office.

"Good morning!" House said cheerfully. Cuddy ignored his remark and chucked his file at him. House noticed her eyes were red rimmed and he knew that she had been crying. She immediately turned to walk back out.

"Cuddy," House said, almost begging. She stopped in her tracks but didn't turn around. "WHAT do you want now?"

"Is there something wrong?" House played dumb and then realized it was a bad move.

Cuddy's fists clenched and unclenched and then she swiveled slowly back around to face her employee. "Did you just ask me if there was something wrong?" Her eyes were squinted down into little slits and House was honestly afraid for his life.

He cleared his throat. "Yes."

Cuddy walked back up to his desk. She opened her mouth and closed it. She repeated this several times and it made her look like a fish. House waited patiently for an outburst of yelling, screaming, throwing things, hitting him…but it never came.

Instead Cuddy began to cry again. But there was no bawling; tears just started pouring down her face. "When will you EVER be satisfied that you've ruined my life?" Cuddy accused.

House stared at her, amazed. He had NOT been expecting this. "I didn't buy that loft Cuddy."

Cuddy snorted. "You are not only the biggest bastard on the face of the planet you are also the best liar."

"I didn't!" House exclaimed. "Just because I live there doesn't mean I bought it!"

"But it was your idea!"

"No! It wasn't!" House was adamant.

Cuddy continued to cry but backed away from his desk. "Why can't you just be happy for me? Huh? WHY?!" Cuddy let out a sob and turned away.

"Because you're making a mistake!" House blurted.

Cuddy whirled on him. "How dare you?!" Her voice rose and House winced. "You have no right. NO RIGHT to tell me whether I am happy. I finally found a man who can take care of me, who loves me for who I am, and will be there for Rachel. If you care about me so much leave me the hell ALONE!" Cuddy's voice broke.

House looked down. "You really want me to leave you alone?"

"Yes." Cuddy's face was set in a straight line.

"Alright then," House looked up at her, his face pained. "If you'll excuse me I have a case to look at."

Cuddy stormed out of the office and waltzed over to Wilson's throwing the door open.

Wilson looked up at Cuddy, unfazed, and went back to his papers. "Is there a problem?"

"How could you?" Cuddy's voice was low and Wilson almost didn't hear it. "I trusted you. As a friend. I trusted you and you turned your back on me. Why?"

Wilson looked up at Cuddy, guilt-ridden but said nothing.

Cuddy sat down in the chair across from Wilson's desk and put her head in her hands. "You are my only real friend James. I'm finally HAPPY and you turn on me!" She put her head up and stared at him.

"I'm…sorry Lisa," Wilson shook his head. "But House…"

"Yes, yes it's ALL about House!" Cuddy spat. She stood up so quickly that the chair fell behind her.

"He's my best friend. And he's miserable. He was there for me after I had surgery. Do you expect me to not return the favor?"

"So this was your idea of returning the favor?" Cuddy threw up her hands and couldn't help but let another little sob out. "By interfering with my personal life?!

"All I want is for him to be happy."

"At my expense!" Cuddy pointed to her chest, angrily. "I can't believe this!" She put her hands to her head and paced across the floor a couple times. "You know…I have the mind to fire you. Right now."

Wilson stared at her unblinking. "House's friendship is more important to me than my job ever will."

Cuddy looked over at him and said nothing.

"You are mad at me for making your life miserable when all you've done since House returned from Mayfield is make his life miserable. He's changed. And you aren't willing to accept that. And until you are, you are no friend of mine. I'm sorry Lisa. I really am. But sometimes tough love is the only way."

"Fine. If that's the way you think about it…" Cuddy got up slowly and walked out the door. Wilson ran a hand through his hair and sighed putting his head in his hands. He hated this. When was it EVER going to end?

MD

House continued to bounce his ball against the wall. Slowly. He had never seen Cuddy so upset. It made his chest ache…and his leg too. He stopped and rubbed his temples.

"Anything?" Taub stuck his head through the door.

"No!" House yelled and Taub backed off quickly returning to the adjacent room to work on the case.

House took the ball and angrily threw it at the wall. It bounced back hit the other wall and rolled under the desk near the window.

"Damn you Cuddy! Why Lucas?! Why!" House shouted in his head.

Wilson stuck his head in the door. "Hey are you alright in here?"

"Do I look like I'm alright to you?" House said sarcastically.

Wilson came all the way into the room. "Cuddy came into my office earlier this morning. She is really upset House. I feel like this was the last straw."

House said nothing. "Maybe I should just leave."

"No. You wouldn't be able to get a job anywhere else."

"I can't come to work every day with her hating me," House responded miserably.

"Time heals wounds. She will get over it eventually."

"No. She won't. She will settle down with Lucas and they will start their happy little family," House spoke in a mocking voice but Wilson could hear the misery behind it.

"Maybe…that's the way things are supposed to be," Wilson shrugged. House merely looked over at him, despondent, and slowly got to his feet, rubbing his leg. It was killing him.

Wilson suddenly felt his beeper go off. "It's from Cuddy. She's calling an emergency meeting of the hospital."

They walked out together and stood at the top of the balcony. Most of the staff was gathered around her on the ground floor and others filed around House and Wilson.

Cuddy spoke loudly. "I just got off the phone with Anders. He was warning me about the storms that are heading our way. He said they are going to be nasty and there is a possibility that the power may go out. We have the generators of course, but you all need to be in emergency mode we cannot afford to have anyone making mistakes. The storms are supposed to hit us from now through tomorrow morning so be prepared and look sharp people!"

"She called an emergency meeting for some storms? Oh please!" House rolled his eyes and walked away.

MD

"Lisa will you calm down?" Lucas was sitting on the couch holding Rachel.

"How can I calm down?! How do you expect me to calm down?!" Cuddy continued pacing in her living room, nearly ripping her hair out.

"That was not the only loft in the state! There are plenty more to choose from!"

"But he was my friend Lucas! I trusted him!"

"House isn't your friend though."

Cuddy turned and started fooling around with the stuff on the shelf in front of the fireplace. "He's more than a friend," she muttered.

"I didn't catch that, hon."

"I said…I can't handle this anymore!" Cuddy burst into tears.

"Come here!" Lucas motioned to her and she sat down next to him burying her face in his shoulder. "House is an ass Lisa. An ass! Why are you getting so upset over all of this? Why do you care? He proved to you that he doesn't care by doing this."

"No Lucas!" Cuddy picked her head up. "He's doing this because he loves me!"

Lucas made a face. "He hallucinated a night with you and suddenly he's in love with you?"

"I..I think he's always loved me."

"So?" Lucas looked down at Rachel and bounced her on his knees luckily missing the realization dawning on Cuddy's face.

"Look Lisa. If this is causing you so much pain, why don't you just go to a new hospital? You have the credentials to get a job wherever the hell you want!"

Cuddy looked over at Lucas. "You aren't seriously suggesting…?"

"Well it's not like you have anything holding you back," Lucas shrugged.

Cuddy bit her lip, considering Lucas' suggestion.

MD

House woke up the next morning to rain beating against the windowsill and thunder booming. He looked outside and noticed the sky was deep black despite the fact that it was 8am.

He slowly got ready and met Wilson at the front door. "Are we going to be able to make it in this?"

"We have to." Wilson shrugged and the two of them left for work, saying nothing in the car ride on the way there. They were soaked to the skin from the walk from the parking lot and entered the hospital meeting the faces of angry and wet employees rushing around treating angry and wet patients.

"This is going to be a fantastic day. I can feel it!" House said walking to the nurse's station and signing in.

"Here you go!" House took off his wet coat and handed it to a nurse passing by.

She made a face. "Excuse me?"

"Hang that up for me will you? You're a doll." House walked away slowly and made his way to the elevators. He pushed the up button and waited patiently, tapping his good foot.

The elevator dinged and opened and House stepped inside. He pushed the button for his floor and as the doors were closing, Cuddy squeezed her way in.

"Wow. You always just make it don't you?" House said.

"I've got another case for you," Cuddy said with lack of emotion in her voice.

"Oh boy! I'm looking forward to it!"

As they neared the second floor House took a step forward so he was standing right in front of the doors. Suddenly the lights went out and the elevator jerked around for a couple times before stopping. Cuddy screamed and grabbed onto the rail. House, with nothing to hold onto lost his balance and fell.

"House! House!" Cuddy yelled in the dark. "Are you alright?"

He grunted. The lights turned back on. Cuddy kneeled down next to him. He was gripping his injured leg. "I fell on my damn leg!"

"Let me see let me see," Cuddy reached out and touched his leg and House winced. Cuddy turned her concerned face to House. "You don't look so good." She got up and hit the emergency button. Nothing happened.

"I'm fine!" House said and slowly got to his feet. "It's not like I fell down the steps."

Cuddy continued to push the emergency button. "Nothing's happening!" She began to panic.

House put his ear to the wall and could hear the other elevator starting to move. "Well, the other one seems to be working! That means the generators came on!"

"But not in here!" Cuddy banged on the elevator doors. "Help! Someone let us out!"

House rolled his eyes. "They have to prioritize Cuddy. Patients first then employers trapped in elevators."

"We could be here for hours!" Cuddy groaned and put her head against the doors.

"I KNEW this was gonna be a super awesome day!" House said in a mocking joyful voice.

_So what did you all think? If you liked it, I will definitely continue!_


	2. Trapped

Trapped

_Here's your second chapter! Most of the next couple chapters will be House and Cuddy primarily but I'm still going to concentrate on including Wilson and the team. I also decided to stick a medical case in this one to help keep the storyline longer. Please keep reviewing and let me know if you have any ideas! : )_

Cuddy banged on the doors with both of her fists again and let out a little moan. "Please. Oh please PLEASE let me out of here!" She banged again.

"It's no use. They can't hear us and if they can they aren't going to pay attention." House crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

Cuddy turned and glared at him. "I am the Dean of Medicine."

"You also can also live without electricity," House stated matter o factly.

Cuddy put her hands on her hips and turned away from House to continue pushing buttons in an attempt to get the elevator to start.

"It's not going to do any good…" House said in a sing song voice.

"You COULD help me you know!" Cuddy growled before punching the emergency button again. "I do NOT have the time to be stuck in an elevator with you of all people."

"I'm insulted," House pouted. He lowered himself slowly to the floor and leaned against the wall. He opened the case file that Cuddy had dropped underneath the railing.

"Cell phone!" Cuddy suddenly shouted. "House do you have your cellphone?!" House reached into his pocket and handed it to her. She pulled it out and quickly dialed Wilson's number.

"James."

"James! It's Lisa! You've got to help me!!!!"

"What…what is it Lisa is something wrong?" Wilson grew alarmed at Cuddy's panicked voice.

"James I'm trapped in the elevator!"

"Wha-what?"

"House and I were on the way up to his floor when the power went out. When the generators came on our elevator didn't. You've got to get me out of here!" Cuddy began pacing back and forth in the front of the elevator.

There was silence before Wilson suddenly burst into laughter. Cuddy frowned and stopped pacing. "What is so funny?" She said in a huff and House couldn't help but smile a little and stare at the disgruntled Cuddy.

"I'm…I'm sorry Lisa. It's just…I'm relieved. I thought there was something really wrong!" Wilson spoke in between fits of laughing.

"There is something really wrong! I'm trapped in an elevator with House!" Cuddy gestured to House as if Wilson could see her movements.

"Lisa just take a deep breath. I will call maintenance and they can have you out of there soon. I'm glad someone's not actually dying. Just hang tight okay?"

Cuddy sighed and hung up the phone. "Great. Now what are we going to do?"

"We could make out."

Cuddy glared at House and sat down in a corner far away from him.

"You know you should lighten up," House snapped at her. "Geez. Were you abducted by aliens while I was in Mayfield?"

Cuddy didn't say anything and House groaned. "Great. The silent treatment. Maybe I should break my neck so that you will at least pay attention to me."

Cuddy looked over at him. "Don't be ridiculous. I just don't feel like talking right now."

"Okay. Well we DO have a case sitting here. Could you help me solve it?"

Cuddy stared at House for a couple of seconds before nodding and scooting closer to him. "What does it say?"

"You didn't read it before you came in here?"

"Normally I read it to you while I'm in here and walking to your room so no, I didn't get the opportunity actually," Cuddy answered sarcastically.

House rolled his eyes. "You know a year ago I would have loved to be trapped in here with you," he muttered. Cuddy looked at House sideways. "What?"

"Nothing." He returned to the case file. "Says here: A nineteen year old boy brought into the ER last night with stomach pain, cramps, headache, nausea. Fever of 102."

He turned to Cuddy. "That doesn't sound like a case to me."

Cuddy leaned in and pointed to the bottom of the paper. "It says here he began vomiting blood. Generally that doesn't occur with normal old stomachaches."

"It could just be ulcers," House shrugged.

Cuddy shook her head. "He's been to the doctor before for that. They even performed unnecessary surgery on him looking in his stomach and small intestines for one…"

"Well it's possible that the stitches from his surgery got infected," House put out his hand for the phone while looking down at his files and Cuddy slapped it into his hand. He dialed Foreman.

"This is Eric Foreman."

"Hey it's House."

"House? Where the hell are you man? We've been looking everywhe…"

"I'm trapped in the elevator with Cuddy."

"Don't be ridiculous. Seriously. Doctors and nurses are running around the hospital trying to keep things in order and no one can find Cuddy…"

"I am trapped…in the elevator…with Cuddy."

"For real. Where are you?"

House sighed and said nothing and glanced at Cuddy who rolled her eyes.

"Oh my…you are really stuck in the elevator with Cuddy aren't you???!!" Foreman busted out laughing. "Hey guys House and Cuddy are trapped together in one of the elevators!"

Cuddy grabbed the phone from House. "Eric! Listen to me! We've got a case file in here! We need you to find a Lyle Masoner and look at his files. Bounce around ideas and call us back."

"Al…right…" Foreman answered between fits of laughter and hung up the phone. Cuddy slammed the phone shut and threw it on the ground.

"Hey be careful that phone was…" House made a face.

"I do not see how this is funny at all!" Cuddy crossed her arms.

"I do." House raised his eyebrows and stared at the ceiling.

"Please…enlighten me."

"Well there are three options. One, we kill each other. Two one of us jumps the other. Three: all of the above."

Cuddy knew House was being playfully serious. "Which one do you think will happen?" She asked him, somewhat playfully.

House grinned at her and Cuddy couldn't help but smile a little, he hadn't smiled like that since…

"Wouldn't you like to know," House wiggled his eyebrows and winked and Cuddy couldn't help but blush. Then she remembered she was supposed to be angry and wiped the smile off her face. "Well, certainly not options two or three!"

"Then I guess they are going to find two dead bodies. But I wager that people are placing bets on option two," House stated. His phone went off and he picked it up. "Yo wat up home dogs?"

"House its Chase! I think we may have found the problem."

"Already?" House gawked. Cuddy sat back down next to House, grabbed the phone, put it on speaker and set it down. "Het its Cuddy I'm listening too."

There was a pause and Thirteen spoke next. "We took some blood samples and his platelet count is too low. We think it may be Thrombocytenia."

"But that doesn't make sense. It explains the spitting blood but not the stomach pain or the fever." Cuddy added.

"Maybe he has stomach cancer. It would explain the pain and the Thrombocytenia." Chase tried.

"Good. Go get Wilson and do a screening." House hung up the phone.

There was a long silence. "So…how is Rachel doing?" House asked awkwardly.

"Fine." Cuddy answered.

"How old is she again?" House questioned.

Cuddy looked over at House, surprised, and noticed that he was actually asking about her child. He wasn't mocking, poking fun, just curious. She smiled a little bit. "She's fifteen months now."

"Wow." House answered. "She's really getting big. By the way…I like how you…uhh…put her hair in a ponytail. It makes her look…uhhh…nice."

Cuddy stared at House strangely. "Well…thanks." House looked down quickly attempting to busy himself with the file and Cuddy felt another surge of guilt wash through her. He was REALLY trying. If only he had tried a year ago…one year…

"She's starting to talk now too," Cuddy added proud of her daughter.

"Really?" House looked up. "Well what has she said?"

"Her first word was cookie," Cuddy smiled to herself thinking about it. "But she also says blankie, bottle, Mommy, and Daddy." Cuddy saw House's face fall and he turned back to look at the file. "That's nice," he muttered.

Cuddy put her face to her knees and sighed trying to wipe out House's miserable facial expression from her memory. She looked down at the floor of the elevator and noticed a drop of blood stained the carpet. She ran her finger over it and turned back to House.

"Did you think of anything new on the case?"

"No," House answered grumpily.

Cuddy stopped talking and looked away at the buttons on the panel. She stood up and walked over trying to hit buttons again. Still nothing.

"When is the damn maintenance guy going to come???" She whined.

"When he comes," House answered in a saucy tone.

"Well maybe we should try and figure out how to get out on our own."

"Uhhh….well…considering the doors are locked shut…." House looked over at her and she squinted her eyes making one of her classic faces.

"Well….how about we try to climb out through the top?" Cuddy suggested.

"Great idea! You first!" House answered looking back down at the case. "Are you claustrophobic or something?"

Cuddy leaned against the doors of the elevator. "No. But I happen to be House-phobic."

"Haha haha haha!" House fake laughed. "I'm dying because I'm laughing so hard. Do you think I really want to be stuck in here with the boss from hell?"

"Oh please! I have saved your ass so many times…"

"But not when it counted," House gave her a mean look and that one hit home. Cuddy stopped and literally pulled back from the shock of his comment.

Luckily, at that moment the phone rang. House picked it up, hit the speaker button, and slammed it on the ground. "House!" He shouted.

"Uhhh….are you alright?" Wilson asked from the other end of the line.

"Fine! What do you have?" House glanced up at Cuddy who looked like she was attempting not to burst into tears.

"Well we tested him and he's clean. No cancer. We also ran a tox screen while we were at it. Nothing."

"But that doesn't mean he doesn't have Thrombocytenia."

"Yes, but that brings us back to square one. What is causing the stomach pain?" Taub piped up.

"Diverticulitis?" Thirteen asked from the other end of the phone.

"Wouldn't cause him to vomit blood." House shook his head.

"Giardiasis?" Chase asked.

"Doesn't explain the fever."

"Hydronephrosis," Cuddy said.

House looked up at her and then down at the phone. "It fits the symptoms."

"We'll test him," Wilson said quickly and hung up the phone.

"Impressive," House said and began muttering to himself as he continued to peruse the file.

"Why did you say that?" Cuddy asked.

"Say what? What you said was impressive! I was merely…"

"No. Before." Cuddy's nostrils flared as she attempted not to cry. "Why did you say that?"

House shrugged. "It was the truth."

"It's NOT the truth!" Cuddy yelled.

House leaned back. "Last time I checked…"

"If you wanted my help you should have asked me! House! I knew something was bothering you…"

"If you knew something was bothering me why didn't you say something??" House asked, frustrated.

"You didn't tell me! How was I supposed to know?" Cuddy's voice dropped as it got weaker from her attempts not to lose it.

"I thought I told you," House dropped his head. "I thought I told you." He repeated.

"House. What happened in the past happened. Okay? I'm not angry about that anymore. You were sick! You thought I helped you, that we slept together….it's okay."

"No. It's not." House gripped the cane on the floor next to him and clenched his other fist. "It never will be again. You know that. Things can't be like they were anymore."

"We've both…grown up." Cuddy responded.

House stared at her. "No. I don't want to grow up. I want things to be the way they were before."

"They can't House." Cuddy looked at him mournfully. "You are getting better now. Learning how to…how to develop real relationships with people. That's a good thing."

"Not when the only other relationship that matters to me is impossible," House fixed his eyes on Cuddy who again was not expecting such an honest answer and gasped.

"I think the case is solved. I haven't gotten a call back." House closed the file. "I'm going to take a nap." He closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall.

Cuddy's face contorted as little teardrops fell from her eyes. He loved her. And she still loved him. So much. But she loved Lucas too, with all her heart. Why was he pursuing her now? Why not a year ago when she was ready for a relationship? Why was he making this so hard on her? She turned away and put her face into the elevator doors and cried. She muffled the sound with her hands. But House could still hear her.

_An emotional one, I know, and there are many more to come! I'm going to try and keep this story moving but I also want to make sure I cover all my bases so this story may not be as fast paced as some. I hope you still loved the chapter!_


	3. Delays

Delays

**Here we are! The third chapter! I will not be uploading again until after the holidays are over so enjoy your new chapter and have a merry Christmas everyone! : )**

_Mmmmbop! Da ba doo bop dubey ah ba doo bop da ba doooooo yayey yeah….mmmbop…._

House woke up with a grunt and picked up the cell phone. "Hello?" He answered groggily.

"House! It's not Hydrophenosis!" Wilson shouted from the other end of the line.

"What?"

"We were about to test him and he went into cardiac arrest! He's stable but we don't know for how long."

"Well was it a heart attack? What caused it?"

"We don't know! But whatever it is moved to his heart!" Thirteen added. "We don't know what else to do!"

House glanced over at Cuddy who was still facing the elevator and seemed to be engrossed with the doors. "Well you figure it out. That's what you're here for!" House hung up the phone quickly and sat it down next to him. He grimaced and massaged his leg again before looking at the back of Cuddy's head.

Feeling his eyes on her she turned around. "What are you staring at?"

"Well it's not like there is anything else to stare at," House shrugged and continued to scrutinize her.

"Yeah well you're making me uncomfortable so if you don't mind…" Cuddy crossed her arms and began pacing back and forth in the front of the elevator.

"Why were you crying again?" House interrogated.

Cuddy looked at him pointedly and then turned away. "I was not crying."

"Oh please. It's not like you are not three feet in front of me! I have ears," House picked up the case file. "Okay. So our patient doesn't have Hydrophenosis. He went into cardiac arrest. What else could it be?"

"Well…is it possible that he could have the flu AND another disease at another time?" Cuddy suggested while brushing a piece of hair from her face.

House shook his head. "Nope."

"Why not?" Cuddy put her hands on her hips.

House looked down. "The odds of that are extremely low."

"Well last time I checked you make your living on low odds," Cuddy answered.

House picked up the phone and dialed. "Wilson I need you to run tests for pneumonia as well."

"Why?" Wilson asked. "Why should that matter?"

"It was Cuddy's idea. Indulge her." House made a face at Cuddy who rolled her eyes. House hung up the phone.

"Gee and that makes me sound so intelligent," Cuddy added sarcastically.

"You never answered my first question you know," House stated loudly.

"None of your business," Cuddy snapped.

"Uhhhhh…I think it is my business" House argued, "Right after we had our little discussion about you not being there for me right before Mayfield."

Cuddy stopped pacing and stared at him. "Seriously? Are you attempting to place the blame on me AFTER I explained to you that I don't read minds?" Cuddy pointed at her head with her fingers angrily.

"Yes!" House proclaimed.

"Well screw you!" Cuddy said and she turned away to face the doors again.

"You know you can't run OR hide from me in here either so all I'm going to do is keep asking you!" House said in an annoying voice.

"Fine you know what?! Fine, fine!" Cuddy whirled back around. "I was crying because I feel guilty okay? I feel guilty!! Are you happy?!" She looked about to burst into tears and went back to pushing the buttons on the elevator in vain.

"You feel guilty? Let me guess…about dating Lucas?" House said.

"No! About not knowing that you needed my help!" Cuddy moaned. "You needed me! And I wasn't there! And now you're back! And you're…you're…" Cuddy started to cry again and House looked away, feeling slightly embarrassed at Cuddy's fresh outburst of tears.

Gaining a hold of herself quickly, Cuddy wiped her eyes. "There…I lost it. Are you done now?"

House didn't have to answer because he was saved by the phone. He picked it up and hit the speaker button. "Lovebirds here."

"So we finished the tests and it turns out that he does indeed have pneumonia. The problem is that we now don't know which symptoms belong to the pneumonia and which belong to the other disease." Foreman said in one breath.

"There's also a possibility that the symptoms are dual too. Maybe one caused the other," Chase added.

"Well…then categorize them. Duh! Obviously the pneumonia caused the fever and possibly the headache."

"Pneumonia causes coughing but not vomiting blood, stomach problems, or cardiac arrest," Thirteen stated.

"What about food poisoning?" Taub suddenly said loudly. "It would explain everything!"

"Good. Get a work up, talk to the patient, and do some more tests!" House hung up and glanced at the phone. "Damn."

"What?" Cuddy looked at her employee, questioning.

"The phone is down to one bar. We are going to lose contact soon. If we don't solve this case…."

"They can always solve it without you you know. They've done it before," Cuddy retorted.

"Yes but it was also my lifeline in case you chose to kill me," House shot back.

"Oh please. If I wanted to kill you I would have done it years ago." Cuddy sat down with her back against the doors, facing House.

"Really? Why didn't you kill me when we bought the loft?" House raised his eyebrow, a challenge.

Cuddy crossed her arms and shifted uncomfortably. "Because…because Wilson bought it!"

"So why didn't you kill him?" House asked.

"You know what? I'm sick of you pestering me with questions! I think I have the right to ask you a million and one questions," she deflected.

"Why did you get Wilson to buy the loft?"

"I didn't. It was his idea. He was doing it for me," House said casually.

Cuddy leaned her head back against the doors. "Alright then. Why have you two decided to ruin my life?"

"Actually we were trying to save it." House said in the same casual voice.

"Well you know what?! I try to…were?" Cuddy stopped mid-sentence and shot to attention. "What do you mean 'were?'"

"I decided that I'm not going to mess with your relationships anymore. If Wilson wants to, I'm not going to stop him. But I'm not going to interfere any longer."

"Why?" Cuddy looked over at House suspiciously.

House suddenly grabbed his leg and cried out in pain.

"House?" Cuddy looked alarmed.

"I'm okay," House said through his teeth, but his face had turned white.

"You don't look okay," Cuddy scooted forward. "Where does it hurt? Is it because you fell on it?"

"I don't know. Just leave it alone." House groaned.

"If you would just let me see…." Cuddy reached out to touch his leg.

"I said I'm FINE!" House shouted and Cuddy recoiled. He grabbed onto his leg. "Ever since I've gotten off of Vicodin I get these pain surges but it got worse after I fell on it. Don't baby me I'm alright."

"I don't baby you!" Cuddy said, shocked.

"Yes you do! What about the time I got in the motorcycle accident?"

"Well…that was…"

"Or the time I was being held hostage?

"You see but then…"

"Or the time I electrified my skull to save Amber…"

"You almost died!" Cuddy exclaimed. "I was there for you. I was a friend! You call THAT babying?"

House looked down at the floor and noticed an old blood spot on the carpet. He rubbed it with his finger, but it didn't come off.

"You WANT me to baby you," Cuddy interjected. "That's why you hallucinated me helping you detox. You want me to take care of you."

House glanced up at Cuddy briefly, trying not to give away his feelings but they were still written all over his face. "House…" Cuddy said softly.

The phone rang again and this time Cuddy picked it up. "Yes?"

"Lisa? It's James. How are things in there?"

"We're okay," Cuddy said a little too hurriedly. "Anything new on the patient?"

"Actually I was updating you on the elevator situation."

"Please tell me that they are coming to fix the problem now," Cuddy shot a hopeful glance at House who also looked hopeful.

"On the contrary…Lisa when the power went out and the generators came on some sort of glitch occurred. That's why everyone has been running around everywhere. Some of the machines did not come back on that were supposed to and…"

"Get to the punch line James!" Cuddy nearly screeched.

"Punch line is that we won't be able to get a mechanic to you two for a while. You're just going to have to sit it out."

Cuddy's face fell and House grabbed the phone from her hand. "Sit it out??? Wilson! We've been in here for 3 hours already! I don't know how much more of this I can take! And the cell phone is running out of battery!"

"Look. We are getting to someone to you as fast as possible. But right now we are dealing with the dying. You two are gonna have to tough it out. Save the cell phone battery. Your team is still running tests." Wilson hung up and House looked down at the phone in disbelief.

"He can NOT be serious," Cuddy said, no hope left in her voice. "We could be in here all night!"

House rubbed his leg again. "You don't happen to have any pills on you do you?"

"Sorry left them in my other pants," Cuddy said. "Look House, if you did something to your leg, we NEED to get you out of here!"

"Well I'm not dying, in case you haven't noticed. Remember, dying patients come first!"

"I'm impressed. Is that actually humanity pouring out of you?" Cuddy looked at House, amused.

"Sorry sweetie but I was just repeating the Big Man. We've got to deal with what we've got!" House said. He began to stand up slowly. "I'll walk it off."

Cuddy sat there and stared at him as he got up and began pacing at the back of the elevator, slowly, and painfully.

"Are you sure…"

"I'm fine!" House gave Cuddy a look and she backed off, moving into the opposite corner of the elevator and watching him, her face guilty.

House stopped. "Can you…." He was interrupted once again by the cell phone. He growled and leaned over to pick it up but Cuddy was faster. "Anything new?"

"So we tested him for food poisoning. Negative," Taub's voice sounded disappointed.

"We also went ahead and looked for food allergies too. Nothing." Foreman added.

"Well then we are back to square one. Go." House began pacing the elevator and rubbing his chin.

"It could be sepsis. He had his spleen removed…" Chase tried.

"He would be dead by now," House interrupted.

"Amyloidosis?" Cuddy piped up.

"Doesn't explain the vomiting blood," House shook his head.

"But it would explain the stomach problems and the weakness and his difficulty eating," Foreman said. "We should test him."

"Amyloidosis doesn't move to the heart so quickly!" House said, frustrated.

"But it could be familial House. If it's a rare strain it may have moved to his heart. We are going to check." The line went dead and House shot Cuddy a death glare.

"Would you like to take over the case for me?! Be my guest!"

"Why are you so angry? Just because I've been more right than you today?"

"Yeah? You're not even a real doctor you're an administrator!"

"Oh lay off House!" Cuddy snapped. "Neither are you so just lay off!" She sighed and stood back up, the phone still in her hand. The two continued pacing back and forth in the elevator.

House turned to look at Cuddy who was rubbing her face, looking guilty again and House rolled his eyes. She stopped and flipped the phone open, starting to dial.

"What are you doing?" House asked.

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm calling Rachel's nanny. I need to make sure…"

"No!"

Cuddy put the phone to her ear. "Excuse me? I have every right…"

"No!" House was across the elevator in 3 seconds. He grabbed the phone and hit the end button.

"House! I need to call the nanny and apprise her of the situation!"

"Not when we have one bar left on this phone and a dying patient upstairs you don't! Rachel will be fine."

"I still need to make that call!" Cuddy held out her hand but House shook his head. "No. I can't let you waste even two minutes of that battery."

"You give me that phone right now!" Cuddy stamped her foot on the ground.

"The answer is still no!"

Cuddy reached out and grabbed the phone from House who attempted to hold onto it.

"Give it to me!"

"Absolutely not!

"You jackass! Give it to me this minute or…"

"Or what? You'll yell me to death?" House mocked.

Cuddy made a growling sound and tugged harder. The two of them began moving around in circles in the elevator like a couple of three year olds fighting over a teddy bear.

House pushed her against the wall and leaned into her face. "Your precious daughter will be fine."

"I need to make sure!" Cuddy leaned in and said to his face before pushing him back to the middle of the elevator.

"No you don't!"

"You know what? You know what? This is silly we are two adults we can solve this without acting like children," Cuddy stopped and panted looking at House. "You can give me the phone or your ass is fired."

"Or you can let go before I tell the Board that you put your well daughter before a dying patient," House said leaning back down in her face. He held it there watching her closely.

"You wouldn't dare," Cuddy's eyes became little slits.

"Watch me," House threatened.

Cuddy's nostrils flared angrily and she let out go forcefully shoving House into the back of the elevator. He grinned at his victory and then grimaced again and dropped to the floor, his face turning white again.

"Did I hurt your leg?" Cuddy raced over and knelt next to him.

He shook his head and closed his eyes as pain racketed up and down his leg.

_I hope you loved the chapter! But I unfortunately am running out of ideas. I know specifically what I want to do but it's not taking as many chapters as I would like. Any and all ideas are extremely welcome, in fact I could really use some! Thanks and keep reviewing so I know what you think!_


	4. Complications

Complications

_Hey guys! Sorry for the delay in chapters but my best friend is visiting from out of state so we've been basically spending every second together : ) I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! My chapters will become more frequent in a week after she heads back to school. Enjoy chapter 4!_

"House! House! Look at me!" Cuddy grabbed House's face in her hands. "How much does it hurt?"

House opened his eyes and his vision was hazy. Cuddy's face was swimming and it looked like she had four eyes. He shook his head rapidly and she came back into focus. Her eyes were glimmering and she looked extremely worried. "I'm okay," he croaked out.

Cuddy noticed the color returning to his face and let out a sigh of relief before leaning back on her heels. She sighed. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize…House what is wrong with your leg?"

House shrugged a little bit and attempted to touch his leg which made it worse. He grimaced again and then groaned.

"I'm calling Wilson," Cuddy grabbed the cell phone and started dialing.

"No!" House said and grabbed her hand. She stopped. "House we need to get someone in here now! You're hurt!"

"I'm fine" he said between his teeth. "Save the battery power."

Cuddy shook her head and went back to dialing.

"Cuddy," House sounded like he was begging and she looked up at him, scared. Slowly, she put the phone down. "Okay. But you let me know the second the pain gets too bad."

"Yes mother," House rolled his eyes and laid his head back against the wall. "It's already feeling better. I think I just fell funny on it earlier."

"Are you sure you won't let me look at it?" Cuddy reached for it again and House drew back. "Don't touch me" he snapped.

Cuddy's hand shot back. "Okay," she said, sounding slightly hurt but attempting to not let it show. She drew back and sat in the other corner of the elevator.

The phone went off and Cuddy shot across the elevator and picked it up before House even realized that it had gone off. "This is Cuddy." She hit the speaker button.

"It's not Amyloidosis either!" Thirteen's voice sounded agitated. "And a new symptom has surfaced: he's peeing blood now too!"

"So…there is a leak!" House responded, sounding back to his normal self.

"Duh!" Chase's voice came in from the other end of the line. "We are searching for the leak right now but can't seem to find one anywhere!"

"Do an MRI, colonoscopy, CCT, everything you can think of! And DON'T call me back until you've checked every possible location for a leak. Our battery is dying and we don't have time for stupid phone calls." He hung up and used his cane to start standing.

"House what are you doing???" Cuddy's voice rang out in alarm.

"I'm snorting coke. What do you think I'm doing???" He growled. "I'm standing up and walking this pain off I don't have time for stupid leg problems to…." He stood up and swayed for a second before getting his bearings. "There you see? I'm fine." He began pacing.

"The leak could only be explained in his stomach," House muttered to himself.

"Unless something is going on his brain and got to his stomach. He came in with a terrible headache and a fever. What if there was a leak somewhere in his brain that somehow moved to his stomach and intestines?" Cuddy tried.

"See that would make sense, except for the part about a leak moving from the brain only to the digestive tract!" House replied sarcastically.

"So far, he's only vomited blood and peed blood. It's not coming out of his lungs, his heart, or any other orifice. That's the only thing that makes sense!" Cuddy retorted.

"Well they are checking now. We'll see whose right." House continued pacing.

"Why do you always have to be right?" Cuddy responded shaking her head. "I don't understand. What do you hope to accomplish by always being right? Saving the human race?"

"Yeah. One dying person at a time," House faced his boss and glared. "I seem to be the only doctor capable of it," he rolled his eyes.

"There you go with the arrogance again!" Cuddy threw her hands up in the air. "You know…if you stopped for a second to realize…"

"I did. And there is no one but me who can do what I do. That's why you created the Department for me. You knew that I was talented."

Cuddy looked down at the ground. "You know…everyone knows you are a great doctor. People send me files from all around the world because they want you to look at them. But you have no sense of humility House." She emphasized "humility" and looked back up at him. "Everyone likes a doctor that is kind, and gentle, and acts like they don't know how great…"

"Oh come on!" House interrupted. "It's not my job to please people! It's my job to save lives! If it was my job to please people I'd become the Dean of Medicine!" House threw a hand in Cuddy's direction.

"Ha-ha," Cuddy snarled. "You have no idea how much work and how much time I put into my hospital! That's your other problem! You don't appreciate what anyone else does around here. You just assume that what you do is more important. Well I've got news for you House! You're part of a team! A team! And the job of a team is to run the hospital together to get people better! You may not think that you need us but you do!" Cuddy's chest rose and fell angrily.

House merely glared at her and continued pacing. He had no response because he knew Cuddy was right. And he knew Cuddy knew she was right.

House heard Cuddy let out a humongous sigh. "It's possible that he has two separate leaks. One in his brain and one in his stomach."

"That would be too much of a coincidence," House answered.

"Well in this case it seems like it has to be a coincidence. There is no other way that he could be having symptoms that are completely separate from one another."

"Cancer." House said suddenly.

"We already ruled out…"

"No I mean brain cancer! We only checked for stomach cancer."

Cuddy stood up, looking confused. "Well that doesn't make sense. How would brain cancer cause…?"

"The cancer could have allowed blood to leak into his system!" House grabbed the phone off the ground and dialed quickly.

"Chase."

"Chase. Get Wilson I think he's got brain cancer."

"Brain cancer? What…why…?"

"Just check for it ok?" House hung up quickly and looked down at the phone. The low battery signal flashed at him. "We're almost out of power here."

"We have to let them know about your leg!" Cuddy interceded.

"No! They need to work on the patient. I'll be fine. They will be getting us out of here soon anyway."

"House. It's one in the afternoon! We've been in here since nine! If they couldn't get to us in four hours they won't be able to get to us in a couple more!"

"You don't know that."

"What if we have to sleep in here?" Cuddy wrapped her arms around herself and let out a little shiver.

"We're not gonna have to sleep in here! Geez when did you start to panic?"

"I don't panic!" Cuddy put her hands on her hips. "Remember the time that guy held up the hospital? I didn't panic then."

"True," House agreed. "But you're panicking now. What is different here?" House mocked a puzzled face and rubbed his chin with his hand.

"I don't know. You tell me," Cuddy challenged.

"Well it could only be one of two things. And the first thing has been around much longer, since before Mayfield, and never made you panic. Now the second thing…"

Cuddy's eyes flashed angrily. "You leave Lucas out of this."

House stared at her. "How did you know that is what I was alluding to?"

"Because everything comes back to Lucas now! You're out to get him!"

House started laughing and had to put his hand against the side of the elevator so that he would not fall over. "That is…the funniest thing…I have ever heard. I am out to get him? Now you sound paranoid too."

"Well it would make sense. He has your toy. And you want it back." Cuddy stared at House defiantly whose smile disappeared from his face instantly. His eyes flashed and Cuddy was suddenly afraid that he might hit her. His jaw was set in a line and he seemed like he couldn't get words out.

"Cat got your tongue?" Cuddy mocked, knowing she was crossing a line but couldn't help it. House was on her in seconds.

Cuddy's back was against the wall and House was in her face. "Is that what you think? Huh? That you are my TOY?" House's angry face was inches from her and Cuddy could feel his hot breath on her face. She gulped.

"You think that I am coming after you because I want sex? Is that it?!" House was beyond furious now, but Cuddy saw hurt seeping from beneath his beautiful blue eyes.

"You've always treated me like I was your plaything," Cuddy responded, growing warm and uncomfortable under House's gaze.

"I have? And you haven't done the same in return? Flaunting your body in my face? Please." House snapped.

"Lucas appreciates me for who I am," Cuddy said and sniffed a little haughtily. "If I was disfigured he would still love me. No matter what."

"And I wouldn't?" House tried his face still angry and unchanging.

"No. You are superficial. I need someone who can see below appearances House. You've never been capable of that."

House backed up slightly and stared at her, wounded. "Screw you Cuddy. Screw you." He turned away and faced the opposite wall, silent.

"You can't run from the truth House," Cuddy said to his back.

"Shut the hell up! You SHUT THE HELL UP!" House turned around and screamed in her face. He turned back around and faced the wall again.

Cuddy could feel got tears springing to her eyes. He had never yelled at her before. In fact, he had never raised his voice to her, ever. She knew that what she had said hurt him badly. But he needed to hear it. It was true. But at the same time…she wanted to believe that it wasn't true. That he was changing.

Cuddy started to walk over to him when the phone went off. He picked it up. "Hello?" His voice was gruff and quiet and Cuddy knew that he was really upset. She started to cry.

"Nothing? Not brain cancer? But there's a leak up there? Good fix it." He hung up the phone.

There was a long, silent pause. "Is the patient getting better?" Cuddy said softly her voice raspy.

There was another pause. "They found a leak in his brain. They are fixing it now," House responded his back still to her.

Cuddy nodded. Another pause. "House…" She tried.

"Don't talk to me," he said abruptly.

"Okay." Cuddy responded and she went back to the corner of the elevator and sat cross legged. She leaned over and put her head in her left hand on her knee, and used the fingernail from her right finger to start drawing circles in the carpet.

House leaned his head against the corner of the elevator and grabbed his leg which was really hurting again. The pain was coming and going…like a contraction. He knew what this meant. And he was scared. But he couldn't let Cuddy know he was scared.

He glanced over his shoulder casually and saw her leaning over tracing her finger in the carpet. Her face was wet and he knew that she was crying. Good. She should feel bad for what she said to him. House turned back around and stared at the wall. He knew that if they were trapped in here much longer, the silent treatment would never work. And neither of them could run.

"I noticed some blood stains on the carpet," Cuddy said casually without looking up.

House said nothing.

"I wonder how long they've been there," she continued. "They were dry, but they should have been cleaned up. I guess I could get…"

"What part of don't talk to me do you not understand?" House whirled around and noticed Cuddy staring at him.

"House. Please don't be angry," Cuddy seemed to beg.

"Oh so now you've turned into a softie too!" House said angrily.

"You are the only person in this elevator to talk to! I don't want to fight!"

"Yeah well too late for that! Besides according to you you're just my plaything so apparently talking is not what I want to do anyway!"

"So am I wrong? Do you not think of me that way?" Cuddy tried. "After that time in your office…"

"Don't talk about that!" House blurted, his voice rose slightly, showing how upset he was getting.

"House. Please. Talk to me." Cuddy stood up and walked over to him. She put her hands on his arms and he seemed to calm down a little bit.

"I thought you knew me. I guess you don't." He brushed her arms away from his.

"I do know you!" Cuddy said.

"No. You don't. If you think that what I feel for you is superficial then you aren't worth my time." House walked away to another corner of the elevator and crossed his arms.

"If you…" Cuddy started but the phone rang again. House picked it up and hit the speaker button. "Go. Be quick. The battery is about to go."

"We fixed the brain leak. His headache is gone and the bleeding stopped but the stomach pain and nausea is still here. Looks like there were 2 things happening after all," Wilson said.

"Well then find them," House responded.

"House's leg is hurt again," Cuddy suddenly stated and House looked up at her, shocked.

"What?" Wilson said.

"He fell on it when the elevator malfunctioned and now it's giving him a lot of pain," Cuddy walked over and spoke directly into the phone. "You have to hurry and get us out."

"House how much pain are you in? Do you know how you hurt it?" Wilson asked, concerned.

The phone beeped again. "It doesn't matter Wilson. Listen. You need to perform tests on his abdomen and see what it is. It will be up to you to figure it out. You lead the team."

"But House…"

"Just do it! The man could still be dying."

"And then we need you to get us out of here!" Cuddy said. "Hurry Wilson we don't have much time."

The phone beeped again. "We have to go," House said.

"Alright. Alright we will but House promise me one thing," Wilson said quickly.

"What?"

"That you will…" the phone shut off.

_Well I know this is a bit of an evil place to leave you at but I can't think of anything else at the moment lol. I hope you all liked it! Please keep reviewing and letting me know what you think. Again, all suggestions are welcome!_


	5. Miscommunication

Miscommunication

_Sorry for the delay in updates but the last couple weeks have been insane! Here is your 5__th__ chapter! Hopefully I will have more time the next couple weeks to update this story because I have more free time now! Yay! However, I start back up at school in 2 weeks so I'm gonna try and finish it by then but who knows lol. Please continue to share your ideas with me! Special thanks to Lynnie1967 for her ideas that I will be utilizing in the next couple chapters._

"Alright. Alright we will but House promise me one thing," Wilson said quickly.

"What?"

"That you will…" Wilson stopped when he heard a click. "Greg? Lisa?" He paused but there was no response. "Greg! Lisa!" He yelled into the phone. "Dammit!" Wilson swore.

House's team ran into House's office where Wilson was standing.

"What's wrong?" Thirteen asked, worried. "PLEASE don't tell me that their phone shut off already!"

Wilson put his head in his hands and sighed and the team all either sighed, gasped, or mimicked Wilson's actions.

"So what are we going to do now? I presume that we no longer have any means of communication with them" Taub stated the obvious.

Wilson nodded sarcastically.

"Well what do you suggest we do now?" Chase asked, putting his hands on his hips.

"I don't know! And on top of the patient, Cuddy told me before they hung up that there is something wrong with House's leg."

"House's leg. The one where he had the infarction?!" Thirteen said with rising alarm.

Wilson nodded again and massaged his temples. "She sounded scared. House said it wasn't a big deal but obviously Cuddy is the one that we should be listening to here."

"That's a first," Foreman threw in sarcastically, while leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

Wilson spun on him. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Since when do you side with Cuddy?" Foreman said, standing up straighter. "Suddenly Cuddy says there is something wrong and you decide that she's right? When did this start?"

"Do you have a problem that you are not making me aware of because I'm not understanding the hostility here!" Wilson answered angrily.

"Can we all just calm down here!" Chase shouted. "For crying out loud what is your problem?"

"I have a problem with him accusing me of something that…."

"It doesn't matter!" Thirteen jumped in. "Cuddy said that House is having issues with his leg and House didn't. This means that it's hurting him and he doesn't want to admit it. Which means…."

"We need to get someone in there as quickly as possible" Taub finished. "But you all seem to be forgetting the fact that every possible mechanic is being used right now to fix the machines that malfunctioned! We could never get anyone in there!"

"Well can't we get someone that doesn't work for the hospital?" Chase suggested.

"Yes. Chase go call them. The rest of you go continue figuring out what's wrong with the patient!" Wilson shouted before staring back at the phone. "Promise me that you will take care of each other. Please. I'm begging you."

MD

"Wilson! WILSON!" House shouted into the phone. "It shut off!" House yelled, frustrated. He lifted the phone up over his head, as if to throw it at the wall. Cuddy flinched instinctively and House slowly lowered the phone from above his head and tossed it at Cuddy who caught it, barely.

"Well now that we have no communication with them anymore we are going to have to take care of ourselves," Cuddy said casually.

"Thank you Captain Obvious," House stated.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Look. There is nothing we can do but sit in here and wait. Now you can brood over there in the corner or you can freaking grow up and stop being a ten year old."

"Wow. The real Cuddy IS in there after all!" House said, in a slightly amused tone. "And I'm still mad at you so don't think that because I'm talking to you that everything is peachy."

"Why are you so upset?" Cuddy threw her hands in the air. "If I had said that to you a couple months ago you would have laughed at me! Three minutes ago you nearly bit my head off!"

"Can we NOT talk about it. Please." House emphasized, staring away from Cuddy to the ceiling.

"Fine. If you want to avoid the truth then…"

"You know what? Why do you care anyway?" House faced her.

"Because it's really bothering you!"

"You've never cared if I was upset! In fact, when have you ever cared about me?"

"What do you mean I've never cared?! I've always cared!" Cuddy protested.

House made a sarcastic laughing sound. "You just care now because we are trapped together in an elevator and you can't BEAR the thought of having no one to talk to."

Cuddy stared at him, knowing he was right, and looked down at the elevator floor before sitting down. "You're right. I can't bear the thought of being alone."

"I never said anything about alone. I just said no one to talk to," House said, and raised his eyebrow at her.

Cuddy's mouth wriggled pitifully, as if she was trying not to cry, and she looked back down at the floor silently.

"I'm still mad," House said and began pacing in the elevator again. "But we still need to brainstorm for the patient."

"Ummm….we have no way to get in the touch with the outside world," Cuddy gestured to the elevator doors.

"Yes. But if they come and get us within the next hour or so and haven't solved the case, we will have some more ideas," House continued. "Now, his headache and bleeding problems have disappeared but he is still having stomach problems and nausea."

"There could be a million and one things wrong with him. It could just be gastroenteritis. It could be ulcers or cancer or…"

"We've already checked for all of those things and it's none of them," House responded.

"Well what if it's just IBS?" Cuddy added. "You can't really check for that anyway it just has to be diagnosed through symptoms does he have diarrhea or…"

House had already picked up the patient's file again and was leafing through it. "No diarrhea…but constipation yes."

"Another symptom of IBS," Cuddy nodded her head. "It fits. Now since the answer is so obvious…"

"Like I said before" House said slowly, as if Cuddy was stupid. "If this case was obvious and clear then I would not have it to begin with! Therefore, it is NOT obvious!"

"House…" Cuddy's voice had taken an annoyed tone, and she sighed rubbing her head. "Can we just leave it please? There is nothing we can do from in here except wait it out. They can handle the case. They have already solved half of it."

"Yeah with our help!" House pointed at himself, however, and continued pacing. "I'm starting to feel like a caged rat in here!" He wiped his brow and winced again, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Your leg?" Cuddy asked.

House stood there for a second, his eyes shut tight and sweat beginning to join at his brow.

Cuddy stood up and walked over. She picked up the edge of House's jacket and mopped his brow, slowly. She made a sympathetic face. "Why don't you sit down you'll feel better." She guided him carefully to the floor. "You should take your jacket off too." She tried to take it off for him and he shrugged her off. "I can take my own coat off."

"Okay," she said softly, backing off slowly and sitting cross legged in front of him.

"You know you should be happy that you decided to wear pants today with all that sitting you are doing," House said, a little like his old self.

Cuddy couldn't help but smile a little bit. "Well…Lucas thinks it makes me look statelier," Cuddy said somewhat cheerfully.

"Oh. Well it kind of does," House attempted awkwardly but his voice fell anyway and Cuddy noticed it.

"You know we can still be friends," Cuddy said, sadly. "This whole thing with Lucas…it doesn't have to affect…I mean, it doesn't have to…" Cuddy stopped and looked over at the wall.

"Well thanks for the valiant effort," House said rudely.

"You know what I'm trying here!" Cuddy said exasperated.

"I know," House said softly staring off into space again.

Cuddy, taken a little aback by House's answer said nothing and chose to bite her lip instead.

"It's so stuffy in here!" House suddenly burst out and fiddled with his shirt. He rolled his sleeves up and used his jacket to wipe his forehead again.

"I'm not…House! You're running a fever!" Cuddy felt his forehead which was warm. "We've got to get you out of here soon!" She got up and walked over to the elevators again and began to bang on them more.

"That's not going to do anything," House said. "We are stuck in between floors they are actually going to have to get the elevators moving to get us out."

"How do you know that we were stuck in between floors?" Cuddy looked at House, her mouth agape.

"Well considering we never heard the little sound that machines make when they click into place…" House trailed off.

"Well we could be like a foot or two below the entrance," Cuddy said desperately.

"Don't waste your time," House shook his head and wiped his forehead again. "I think I'll be alright."

Cuddy came back over and sat down and put her head against the wall, tired. She closed her eyes and sighed. House looked over at her. She hadn't straightened her hair that day. It was curly. That's how he liked it best. She had really only began straightening her hair since Lucas….he felt his stomach clench up at the thought and pushed it out of the way.

Cuddy opened her eyes and noticed House staring at her…strangely. "What are you staring at?" She questioned him.

"Nothing," House answered quickly and looked away.

"No really. Is there something wrong?"

"Actually I was wondering why you have been straightening your hair all the time," House said casually.

Cuddy had to suppress her instinct to start laughing. "Well…I…think it makes me look more sophisticated," Cuddy pulled out of her butt.

"Oh," House shrugged.

Cuddy stared at him, surprised that he didn't question her lie. "House…." Cuddy started and then stopped.

"What?"

"Nothing," Cuddy said hurriedly. She looked away again. "Why have you been wearing your beard thicker?"

House instinctively put a hand to his face. "I…think it makes me look younger," he answered, also pulling an answer out of his butt.

Cuddy sighed and turned back to him. "We can at least be honest with each other. You have been shaving less often than normal because you care less."

"And you straighten your hair because that's how Lucas likes it," House added. "And by the way, I think it makes you look older."

"Really?" Cuddy seemed shocked and House guffawed. "Yeah! Your curls outlined your face and…" House trailed off.

"What? Finish your sentence. Come on," Cuddy leaned over and put her head on her knees and she was hugging them. Her eyes glistened prettily and House found himself unable to look away from them. "And accentuate your eyes," House mumbled and broke the gaze.

Cuddy could feel herself blushing and couldn't help it. She smiled a little to herself. "Maybe you really are changing," she muttered more to herself but House heard it.

"Maybe you really do care," House said sarcastically in response.

Cuddy looked up at him, her mouth open. "I told you I cared! You don't believe me?!"

"Nope."

"What about that time I stayed in your room with you all night after you stupidly shocked your brain?" Cuddy stood up and leered over him, her hands on her hips.

"You just wanted to protect your best diagnostician," House responded.

"Really? Is that what you think?" Cuddy asked, loudly.

"Yes I do. If you really cared you wouldn't have left me all alone in Mayfield!" House raised his voice angrily.

Cuddy stopped and uncrossed her arms. "Is that what this is about? This is about me not coming to see you at Mayfield?" Her voice softened.

House glared up at her and said nothing.

"You wanted me to come see you at the hospital?"

"YES!" House yelled. "I wanted you to come see me at the hospital but did you? NO!"

"You weren't allowed to have any visitors!"

"Yes I did! Towards the end! Just not at the beginning. But you were too busy screwing around with Lucas!"

"I wasn't screwing around with Lucas I haven't slept with him yet! We were waiting for when we moved into the loft together!" Cuddy yelled back.

"You haven't slept with him yet?"

"No!" Cuddy crossed her arms and started pacing around the elevator. "Not that it's your business!"

"Well than what's the explanation? You didn't want people thinking that you knew a loonie? Didn't want your donors seeing you with the Head of Diagnostic Medicine in an insane asylum?"

Cuddy continued pacing and rubbing her arms. "I didn't think that you wanted me there," she said weakly.

House said nothing and Cuddy looked over at him. "I'm…I'm sorry. Really. I thought if I kept my distance then you would…get better. After your hallucination…" Cuddy shook her head. "I felt terrible."

"You felt terrible? What? For firing me??" House stated.

"For not knowing! For not hearing your cry for help!" Cuddy threw her hands in the air and let out a little sob. "You were banking on me being there for you and I wasn't! I turned away for one second and you lost it! One second!" Cuddy put her face in her hands and attempted to stop crying but the tears kept running down her face.

House looked down at the elevator floor, uncomfortable. "Do you know what I went through when you weren't here??" Cuddy asked again, accusing.

House stood up slowly, painfully, and walked over to her. "You didn't really think that I didn't want you there did you? You were just afraid. You were afraid of my hallucination, and you were afraid of its meaning, and you were afraid of seeing me vulnerable because then you would have to face up to how you felt."

Cuddy looked up at him, her face wet and she shrugged her shoulders. "Okay. So you caught me. I was afraid."

"You aren't afraid of anything." House replied.

"I'm not fearless you know!" Cuddy pushed House aside and moved to the other side of the elevator.

"I thought you were," House said and Cuddy looked over at him, shocked.

"Suddenly you are complimenting my appearance without being sexual! You wanted me to visit you at Mayfield! Suddenly you want to know that I care that I….all of a sudden!" Cuddy said angrily. "You know what? You know what you….you…." she groaned in frustration and pounded her fist on the elevator wall. "You drive me crazy House!" She rested her head against the wall and continued to pound the fist over and over and over…

"Well I'm finally showing you some humanity and you flip out! You've been trying to get me to be honest for years and now I am and you're being a freaking…basket case!" House yelled.

Cuddy stopped pounding on the wall with her fist but didn't turn around.

_Sorry for the abrupt ending…lol but I felt that it was appropriate considering. I'm hoping to update tomorrow night! Tonights chapter took me a long time though so I can't make any promises lol. Please continue to leave reviews and please continue to give me suggestions and ideas! I could really really use them!_


	6. Here We Go Again

Here We Go Again

_After last night I was afraid I was really stuck but I woke up this morning with some fresh new ideas! I'm going to try and resolve a couple huge questions for you in this chapter and will be leaving it on a cliffhanger (I know I'm mean). I don't think I will be able to finish this before "The Down Low" airs like I originally thought because they moved it back up to next Monday (woo hoo!!!) But anywaysssssss enjoy chapter 6! ; ) _

"I'm sorry okay? I'm sorry." Cuddy's voice came to House's ear muffled. "You actually are…changing."

House said nothing and instead shifted his weight and lowered himself down against the elevator. He had only been on his feet for a minute and already the pain was unbearable. He grimaced silently again and held onto his leg. But he was unprepared for the sharp searing pain that suddenly shot up and down his leg. He cried out.

Cuddy turned around and bolted to the other side of the elevator. "House!" She sat down next to him and grabbed his hand. "Please. Please! Tell me what is the matter with your leg!"

"It's nothing," he said through his teeth.

"What is the matter with you?!" Cuddy cried. "Why can't you just tell me???"

"I don't want you worrying," House said. He grimaced again and put his head against the wall with his eyes shut. "I could really use some Vicodin."

"No. No. Don't talk that way," Cuddy squeezed his hand. "We need to get you out of here is what we need to do. How much is the pain right now on a scale of ten?"

House kept his eyes shut. "A….7," he answered simply. "But I'm going to be fine!" He opened his eyes and looked over at her. "Look I'll be alright if you distract me. Give me something else to think about!"

"Ummm….umm….the patient!" Cuddy tried. She held onto his hand. "I said we should stop thinking about the patient but maybe we shouldn't! It always makes you feel better about your leg!"

House shook his head and sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. "It does no good. It would only bounce the ideas around in my head again and we have no way of checking it."

Cuddy sighed and let go of his hand. "Well what House? I'm out of riddles and games. I don't know what else to distract you with." She started to stand up.

House smiled at her and Cuddy put her hands on her hips. "Very funny." She put a hand to her head and sighed tiredly. "What time is it?"

House glanced down at his watch. "It's about four o clock."

Cuddy gaped at him. "Seriously? Have we really been in here for seven hours already?"

House nodded sarcastically. "Why would I make up the time?" He answered.

Cuddy put her hands up in defense. "Sorry! I was just wondering!" She crossed her arms and rubbed them before yawning. She began pacing the floor.

Another shot of pain went up House's leg and he had to bite his tongue to keep from shouting out. His vision was a little foggy. And he had to pee….really really bad.

"I'm getting kind of hungry" Cuddy remarked.

"It's psychological. You know it's getting close to dinner so you're stomach starts growling," House stated.

"Thank you for the insight Freud," Cuddy rolled her eyes. "But I'm really starting to get edgy in here. Claustrophobic."

"Thank you for helping me get my mind on better things. It's working well," House responded his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Well I don't know what else to talk about!" Cuddy threw her hands in the air for the millionth time. "We have no means of occupying our time while we wait. What do you suppose we do?"

"Well…I could REALLY use a place to pee," House responded and winced as he changed positions. On top of his leg pain, now his bladder was throbbing.

"House. There is nowhere to pee," Cuddy said, shocked. "You have to hold it."

"Well I've been holding it for a couple hours now and I don't think I'm going to be able to take it much longer. So we need to figure something out."

Cuddy bit her lip and House glanced around the elevator. "I could just pee in a corner," he said nonchalantly.

"Except for the fact that it would wreak to high heaven in here!" Cuddy made a face. "You can't go in here unless you have some sort of a cup or a tube."

"Oh gee where did I leave my stash of handy Styrofoam cups?" House replied sardonically while checking through his pockets. "I seem to be out." He stopped and glanced at the doors. "We are going to have to pry one of the sets of doors open."

"There is no way…if we could do that we would already be out of here!"

"It only has to be open enough for me to pee out the door, a sliver. Of course you might have to watch me do it. This may be slightly awkward but…"

"House! Do you know how ridiculous this sounds?!" She was standing over him her arms splayed out to the sides. "I don't think you do! Because…"

"It's either this or I wet my pants," House shrugged his shoulders. "You're choice."

Cuddy ran her hands through her hair and turned around. "Okay. Okay. But someone is going to have to clean that up!"

"Well you can give someone that charming job later once we are out of this damn place. Now are you going to help me here or not?"

Cuddy walked over and helped House to his feet. He was sweating profusely now and it seemed even more of a strain to get him to his feet. He limped slowly to the doors and pulled at the sides. It didn't budge.

Cuddy joined in. They put their fingers into the slit where the door opens and pulled, both of them making noises with the strain. The door budges ever so slightly and closed again. Cuddy let go and started panting. "There has to be an easier way to do this."

"Well if we can open it enough to wedge my cane in the door…" House said out loud, contemplating. His head was throbbing now too from the exertion but he knew that he could deal with that later.

"The doors are too heavy for us!" Cuddy protested. "You're weak from pain House and I'm out of shape. I don't know what else to do."

"We need to try!" House's voice came out strong and adamant. "We only needed to open it a little further. Just a little and I can wedge my cane through!"

Cuddy stared at him for a couple of seconds, her mouth set in a line, her eyes wary but she nodded anyway. "Alright. One more shot." She walked back over and stuck her fingers into the little crack in the doors.

"Okay on three," House said shooting her a little glance. "One, two…..three!" They both grunted and pulled with all their might. The door opened slightly, and then just a little bit more and House thrust his cane into the opening.

"You know if we could get it a little more one of us could…"

"No!" House said fiercely. "The doors are too strong. They would try and close and crush us. Now, could you please look away?"

Cuddy sighed, resigned, and turned her back to House. House unzipped his pants and aimed into the small opening he had created for himself. It took him a couple seconds to realize that his urine had turned a brownish red color.

MD

Wilson was pacing in House's office, House's ball rolling around in his hands when the team returned. Wilson glanced up hopefully but their faces showed no traces of relief or triumph. "I'm guessing nothing?"

Thirteen shook her head and Foreman spoke up. "We ran more tests on his stomach. Nothing. Either it really is just a tummyache or we are missing something major here."

Wilson shook his head. "It has to be something."

"Well I don't know about any of you but I'm fresh out of ideas," Taub jumped in. "There is no one here to question our theories or provide us with any new ones. I don't think there is anything we can do."

"Well we can't just wait for him to die!" Thirteen said. "We need to do something."

"Well if there is no "something" I don't know what you could be suggesting," Taub responded.

Just then Chase walked back in and shook his head. "No good. Most of the places I called had its entire staff already out fixing telephone poles and the electricity. Some lines just kept ringing. There is nothing we can do."

Wilson threw the ball angrily at the wall. "What the hell are we supposed to do now?!"

"We could always try and get someone in the hospital to stop whatever they are working on and get them out," Thirteen added.

"Cuddy would kill us," Foreman shot down the idea.

"Not if House's leg is hurting him," Wilson interjected. "She sounded worried. If something is wrong…she would want us to get them out of there."

"Well what about the patient?" Taub piped up. "We can't forget about him either."

"There are five of us. I think that is plenty to fix a patient and figure out a way to get two people out of an elevator," Wilson responded quickly. "We're all med graduates we can figure it out!"

"Well you seem to be the one in charge here tell us what to do," Chase said, putting his hands on his hips.

"Fine. Chase you come with me the rest of you get back to the patient. I don't care what you do to him just find the answer! Foreman you are in charge since Cuddy, House, and I won't be here so use your own discretion." Foreman nodded and led the team out of the office.

"So…what are we doing?" Chase asked, slightly confused.

"We are going to search for someone, anyone in this damn hospital, who can pry open some elevator doors!" Wilson stormed out and Chase followed suit.

MD

"Do you feel better now?" Cuddy asked after she had set House back down against the wall.

"I'm fine now Mommy thanks," House responded.

Cuddy sighed and sat down next to him, sitting sideways so as to face him. "You know…you've been calling me that since med school."

House opened his eyes and glanced at her sideways. "I know."

"And…you don't think it's getting a little old?" Cuddy asked, but House could hear the light-hearted tone to her voice.

"Nope! The day you stop acting like my parental unit I will stop calling you Mom. But since that won't be happening anytime soon…I'm going to select Option D: Never."

Cuddy smiled a little. "You know sometimes I wish I was back at Michigan…everything was simpler then. All you had to do was get A's in all of your classes and you were the expert!" She shook her head.

"I don't miss Michigan at all, "House muttered.

"Because you were kicked out!" Cuddy retorted.

"Yeah! That weasel that tattled on me…someday I'm going to rub in his face that I have my very own department now and could kick his ass!" His face took a feisty look and Cuddy had to suppress laughter.

House looked over at her. "What are you laughing at?"

"You just looked twenty years younger for a second," Cuddy said nostalgically. "I still remember that day you were fired….you were sitting outside the Dean's office and I slipped in and asked if everything was alright and you said…"

"Peachy," House finished. "But I knew that something was up and after that I…didn't see you again," his voice dropped but he didn't break his gaze with Cuddy. She broke it.

"I waited around like an idiot for a couple of hours thinking that you would come back…" Cuddy's voice had gotten very soft and House had to strain to hear.

"I told you I was going to call you," House tried. "I really was. I mean it. It's just…why try when I was getting kicked out of school you know?"

"I know, I know," Cuddy picked up her gaze and attempted to smile but it didn't really work. "I was just a stupid twenty year old."

"And I was just a twenty five year old jackass," House finished.

"No you weren't," Cuddy punched his arm playfully. "You were a legend! Everyone knew Gregory House the witty, sarcastic…okay maybe you were a pain in the ass but still!" She laughed a little and her tinkly voice made music as it bounced around the elevator's walls.

"So is that why you fell in love with me? Because I was a legend?" House asked, hoping that she might actually tell him the truth.

"No!" Cuddy exclaimed. "You were…I don't know…mysterious! Exciting and adventurous!" Cuddy threw out the words and looked back at House.

"So you admit you were in love with me," House pushed.

Cuddy blushed and looked down at her hands where she had begun to fidget with them. "Yeah. Yeah I guess I was," she answered honestly. There was a pause for about a minute, which felt like a century to them, before Cuddy burst out "Why didn't you just call me?!"

House jumped at her outburst and looked over to see her eyes fiery and still a little wet from the crying she had been doing earlier. "You mean…after I was kicked out?"

"Yes!" Cuddy's voice rose in pitch. "You left me hanging!"

"Is that why you walked out on me at the dance?" House deflected with his own question. "You were mad to discover that I had the intention to call you?"

Cuddy shook her head. "No. And you're deflecting. Now answer my question," she demanded.

House squinted his eyes down in an attempt to start a staring contest but Cuddy was in no mood. House heaved a sigh and twirled his cane around with his hand. "I didn't think it was worth it."

"You didn't?" Cuddy was still stone faced but House could see through the masquerade.

"No. I didn't. We had one night together and then I was kicked out. Do you know how many guys were pining for you? How many guys that were actually honest and….were decent people?" House had to make an effort to get the words out. His leg had started throbbing painfully again and with each returning jolt of pain the pain worsened.

Cuddy made a face. "Yeah right. Look…"

"Geez you're dense," House rolled his eyes. "You're looks haven't changed much in twenty years. You had every guy drooling whenever you entered a room then and you do now. I didn't think it was worth it to go after you when you would have found someone better than me soon enough anyway."

Cuddy blinked. "So…you figured…I'd be better off with someone else?"

House nodded.

Cuddy suddenly stormed over and kicked the elevator door, hard, and it was House's turn to flinch. "But I didn't want any other old damn boy! I wanted you! I waited for you and you never came back! I waited for the rest of my med school and you never came back! Not one phone call! And then I learn at that stupid dance that you actually meant to call me back and it actually meant more to you and I could have…." She stopped and took a deep breath in the middle of her rant and faced House, her hands in fists and her eyes on fire again.

House watched her warily as she kicked the elevator door again before stopping and facing House. "I wanted YOU House. Do you understand?!"

House nodded. "Yes Lisa, I do." Cuddy's anger disseminated when she heard him say her first name. He went back to rubbing his leg, unaware that he had slipped and used her first name.

"I'm…sorry," Cuddy exhaled.

"Me too," House responded quietly, but steadily. He bit his lip at the pain again. "But now…things are different. Now…you have Lucas. You're in love with Lucas aren't you?" House stared up at her begging for an answer.

Cuddy nodded a little, slowly. "Yeah. Yeah I am in love with Lucas. What was between us…that was… twenty years ago. We can't change that now."

"Yeah. I…know," House said sadly. He grunted and shifted his leg slightly so that it was lying out horizontally against the back of the elevator.

"Maybe we should just forget the past, you know?" Cuddy suggested. "Then it won't have to be so…."

Cuddy stopped when House yelled in pain again. He gripped his leg. "It's…getting…worse," he said and laid back down on his back.

Cuddy walked back over and kneeled next to him. "What's the pain on the scale now?"

"An 8," House said before crying out again, with his eyes squinched tight.

Cuddy's eyes began to fill as she watched him hurting. She looked down at the carpet again and noticed a wet blood stain. A perfect round drop. Identical to the others she had noticed…

"House!" Cuddy said, alarmed. "I think you're bleeding!"

House reached beneath his leg and noticed a perfect round circle where the blood had seeped through his pants. He brought his hand back around which was damp with blood.

"Tell me what's going on!" Cuddy grabbed his shoulders. "Tell me!"

House closed his eyes. "It's my leg. More tissue is dying. I'm having another infarction."

_I hope you liked the new chapter! : ) This one just poured out of me tonight and I had to will myself to stop! Lol. Please keep reviewing and giving me suggestions they are all extremely helpful!_


	7. Searching

Searching

_I'm sorry the cliffhanger I left you all on was so mean! Lol. I always end up making it worse than I intend! But anyway here is your 7__th__ chapter I'm thinking the story is about halfway over now I'm aiming for 14 chapters I think. Please keep the reviews and suggestions coming you can never have too many!_

Cuddy stared at House, as if in shock, her mouth open and her eyes glazing over.

"Cuddy?" House asked. "Cuddy? CUDDY!" He grabbed her face between his hands and moved her head so that it was facing his. "Cuddy."

Cuddy blinked a couple times and stared at House, her face now white as a sheet. "House you can't…you can't be serious…you…" she blinked a couple times and shook her head as if trying to clear it.

"Cuddy I've had an infarction before I know what it feels like and it's definitely what is going on right now."

Cuddy's face was still white but her eyes re-focused on House. "Okay. Okay. You said that when you had the infarction that your pain was at a 10 right?" House nodded. "Well then," Cuddy continued, "that means that since your pain is only at an 8 we still have some time before its…it's too late" Cuddy's voice shook. She took a deep breath and stood up.

"Yeah well unless they get in here in another couple of hours I'm screwed," House stated blandly.

"Well then we are just going to have to get out of here before that," Cuddy said sharply and put her hands on her hips staring up and around the elevator. "There HAS to be a way…"

"Cuddy there is no way out of here. Will you give it up please!?" House said, exasperated. He put his head back down on the floor and closed his eyes. "They know we are in trouble. Someone will come."

"Since when are you so trusting?" Cuddy asked, sarcastically.

"Since the person heading the party will be Wilson" House answered matter-o-factly.

"Touché" Cuddy muttered under her breath as she kept looking around. Finally she found what she was looking for. She picked House's cane up off of the floor and began pounding it on one of the ceiling tiles.

House sat up bolt right, startled. "What. The. Hell! What are you DOING?!" He glared up at Cuddy who was still banging on the ceiling.

"I'm seeing…if…any of these…tiles…are…loose" Cuddy panted as she continued to bang.

House rolled his eyes. "Now you are just being completely ridiculous."

"Oh please." Cuddy stopped and rubbed her arm across her forehead. "This is exactly something you would do."

House pursed his lips. "Alright fine. It's something I'd why don't you go back to being yourself and be mindful of the NOISE" House emphasized. Cuddy made a face and continued to bang on the ceiling.

House groaned and lay back down. The pain had dulled somewhat and he was trying to take a short nap before it came surging back. He liked to describe it to people as a stomachache in the leg. Of course with that racket…

"Got it!" Cuddy shouted. House suddenly heard a bang and opened his eyes in time to see the ceiling tile a couple feet from his legs come crashing down to the floor followed by what looked like a pound of dust, dirt, and grime.

"Cool just what I need on top of my infarction, asbestos!" House announced.

Cuddy shot him a look. "I thought you were supposed to be in a lot of pain."

"It comes in surges at first. It's bearable at the moment, I was going to try and take a nap until it came back," House said rather honestly.

"Okay." Cuddy took her heels off and began to attempt to climb the railing against the wall.

"Are you out of your mind?!" House cried.

"An hour ago we opened the elevators a crack so that you could pee into the shaft, and now you're telling me I'm crazy? House. You're pain is going to come back and it's going to get worse. No one has even come by the elevator to shout down to us and see if we are okay. I doubt that anyone is coming soon. So either you can sit there and call me crazy or you can use your lapse in pain and give me a boost so I can see up there."

House stared at Cuddy, trying to decide what to do. He knew that she was about to do something really dangerous but he had two options. Let her do it on her own or help her.

House sat up, slowly, mindful of his leg and scooted over directly below the shaft. "I'm not going to be able to stand up. You'll have to stand on my shoulders."

Cuddy nodded and walked over standing directly in front of him. She carefully raised one leg and stepped on his shoulder and she used his arms as a boost onto his other shoulder. She quickly grabbed onto the edge of the ceiling so as not to fall. She swayed for a couple of seconds before gaining her balance.

"What do you see up there?" House called curiously.

Cuddy stood up on her tiptoes and looked into the shaft. It was pitch black. "There isn't any light in here! I can't see a thing!"

House sighed and continued to hold onto her legs as she balanced on his shoulders.

"Oh wait. Okay my eyes are adjusting I can see the pulleys and I can see….damn!"

"What?" House called up through the ceiling.

"I can see the second floor. It's only a couple feet above our head. We were so close!" She made a frustrated sound and brought her fist down on the roof of the elevator sending a dull dinging sound through the elevator.

There was a pause before House could feel Cuddy's legs pulling further up away from him. He grabbed onto them tighter. "No! You are not climbing into that shaft!"

"House! We are so close! If I can just grab onto those robes and climb up to the opening I can bang on the doors and…"

"No!" House tugged at Cuddy's legs. She squealed and lost her balance falling straight down into House's lap. She landed inches from his face, facing him, with her legs splayed diagonally around his body.

House's face was set in a line. "I'm going to be in a lot of pain very soon. I need you."

Cuddy seemed to have lost her breath and was trapped in House's eyes just staring. She could feel her heart beating very, very fast and willed it to slow down unsuccessfully.

"I thought you didn't want me to baby you" she said almost breathlessly.

"I didn't say I needed you to baby me. I need you to be my doctor."

Cuddy nodded and gulped. House put his hand to her heart. "And calm down please. You only fell a couple feet."

Cuddy, getting a hold of herself quickly, stumbled out of House's lap and stood up, adjusting her shirt and picking a wedgie that she had gotten in the fall. "Ok, so…what do we do now?"

"I don't know," House said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders.

"And you didn't have to touch my chest," she grumbled as she wiped dirt off of her shirt.

"Oh come on Cuddy you liked it," House rolled his eyes.

"No I…" Cuddy put her hands on her hips, obviously flustered.

House smiled. "You're lucky this is happening to me or I might have spilled to Lucas about you giving me a lap dance."

"You….you…" Cuddy pointed her finger at House and glared but ended up throwing her hands in the air. "It was an accident! Why does that kind of stuff always happen to me?"

"Fate. We are meant to be," House responded sarcastically. And although his voice was mocking, Cuddy thought she heard a little truth in there too.

MD

Wilson threw open a door into an operating room and saw a mechanic working on a machine. "Excuse me. May I speak to you for a minute Bill?"

The man looked over at Wilson and nodded before walking over. "Yes what can I do for you Dr. Wilson?"

"Look I know that whatever you are doing is extremely important but I really need your help."

"Well what is it?"

"Dr. Cuddy and Dr. House are trapped in one of the elevators. For some reason it is not properly attached to the generator and when the power went out their elevator didn't start working like the other one."

Bill stared at Wilson for a couple seconds. "Did you just say that our Dean of Medicine is stuck in an elevator…with House?!"

Wilson nodded and put his head in his hands and Bill started laughing hysterically. Wilson picked his head up and looked at Bill, shocked. "What are you laughing at?"

"I'm just getting this mental image of her beating him with his cane…" he started laughing again and couldn't seem to get a breath.

"Listen Bill this is serious. We lost contact when House's phone died and from what Cuddy said he's hurt really bad."

Bill immediately stopped laughing. "Is it life threatening?"

"I don't know but can whatever you're doing wait?"

Bill glanced over his shoulder. "I don't know man. If that machine malfunctions when I'm gone…that patient could die. I don't think it'd be such a good idea."

Chase entered the room empty handed. "I couldn't find anyone that felt they could leave their post. They all seem to think that Cuddy is the only person that can tell them otherwise."

"She's trapped in a damn elevator! She can't tell anyone to do a damn thing!" Wilson shouted. He stopped and sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. But I think I'm going to lose it in a second. If something is really the matter…"

"Look Dr. Wilson I'm sorry," Bill looked upset. "But I don't think that what I'm doing can wait any longer." He shook his head. "I'm really sorry." He turned around and went back into the room and Wilson kicked the door, hard, on his way out.

"Look Wilson I'm sorry but I don't know what else we can do," Chase crossed his arms and leaned against the door. "I went around the building twice over trying to find people and they all seem too busy to be able to do anything."

"Well then we are going to have to go talk to them ourselves!" Wilson said, excited.

"What?"

But Wilson had already taken off down the hall at a quick pace and went right up to the elevator. He stuck his ear to the door and listened. He pounded on the door and stopped, putting his ear back. He pounded on the door again and waited but he heard nothing in return.

"I think we should give up for now," Chase said. "I don't think…"

"Wait!" Wilson put his hand up and put his ear to the door. He heard a banging sound and turned to Chase wide eyed. "That was them that had to be them!"

"Well what do we do?!" Chase asked. "We can't get the doors open!"

"Yes we can!" Wilson said, determined. "If we can pry the door open just a little bit…"

"We can't pry an elevator door open! Those things weigh…I don't know how many pounds!" Chase said, exasperated.

"Well we've got to try!" Wilson turned around and saw House's team coming down the hall staring at them strangely. "And we've got help."

MD

"It was Wilson House it had to be Wilson!" Cuddy was literally jumping up and down. "If they can get that door open…"

"Wilson, Taub, Chase, Thirteen, and Foreman combined are still weaker than me and you," House said. "They are all a bunch of weenies."

"Oh come on! They are trying something!" Cuddy was hopeful and continued to try and peer into the hole she had created in the ceiling which was still dripping dirt every couple of minutes.

"I am not lifting you up there again I don't trust you," House grumbled watching her attempting to look into the ceiling.

"Fine. Then we will just continue to sit here and do nothing," Cuddy said and plopped herself down on the floor opposite House. She sneezed.

""Don't expect me to bless you that dirt is your own damn fault," House grumbled again.

"You know what? You're being annoying. So unless you have something to contribute just shut your trap," Cuddy snapped back. "Now take your stupid nap. I'm going to try and take a nap too."

Cuddy laid her head back against the wall and shut her eyes. She kept them shut for what seemed like hours and then cracked an eye open to see if House was asleep. He was still sitting up against the wall but his eyes were shut and his mouth was open. He was asleep.

Cuddy sighed and opened her eyes all the way. She crossed her arms and watched House sleeping, feeling such a mix and tangle of emotions that it disoriented her completely. Starting to feel slightly dizzy she closed her eyes and held her head in her hands, leaning over.

Suddenly she heard moaning. Cuddy whipped her head up and looked across the elevator to House who was still asleep. She frowned and crawled over and sat next to him. "House," she whispered. "House!" She whispered more urgently.

His eyes fluttered slightly but he remained asleep. He cried out and Cuddy took his shoulders and shook them. "House, House!" He opened his eyes and looked over at her, scared.

"Were you dreaming or something?" She asked him concerned.

House shook his head and looked at her pathetically. "My leg," he managed to get out before closing his eyes tight and biting down hard on his lip. It drew blood.

"Don't do that!" Cuddy shrieked. "You're going to make yourself bleed!" She grabbed his jacket and wiped his lip off.

He yelled again and banged his hand against the wall.

"No! Sssshhh! Hold my hand!" She said and grabbed onto his hand. House's eyes shot open and he looked over at Cuddy, his eyes full of terror.

"What? What's the matter?" She asked, gripping his hand. House's nostrils flared and he looked like he might start crying but recovered. The pain came again and he squeezed her hand tightly and tried to massage his leg with the other but it did no good. He had started to sweat again.

"I think you need to lie down," Cuddy said.

"No!" House squeaked out. "I feel better…sitting up." He let out a breath and squeezed her hand tightly again.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," Cuddy said sadly and mopped his forehead again. "It's gonna be alright. We are going to get you out of here, I promise."

House looked over at her, ready to say something nasty but she looked sincere and he decided against it. She looked so sympathetic, so guilty…

House wet his lips and tried to open his mouth and say something but nothing came out. He tried again but Cuddy put a finger to his lips. "Save your strength."

House shook his head and opened his mouth before shutting it again. Cuddy looked at him strangely. He was trying to tell her something.

"Wait until the pain passes," Cuddy said softly. "Or until it subsides for the time at least. Is your pain at an 8 still? Or a 9?"

House shook his head vigorously.

"A 10?! It's already at a 10?!"

House shook his head again and made eight fingers followed by a 5.

Cuddy stared. "85…8.5???" House nodded again and Cuddy put a hand to her heart. "You scared the hell outta me for a second."

House and Cuddy sat there for another couple minutes before House's pain finally died down again. But he still had a tight grip on her hand.

"Cuddy…I may… die this time," House whispered his voice raspy.

"No. You won't," Cuddy stated her voice steady but her eyes filling. "You made it through one infarction you can make it through another."

House shook his head. "Maybe. But maybe not."

Cuddy's lip quivered but she said nothing.

"There's something I need to tell you," House said and he looked down. "It involves Mayfield."

"Is it important House?" Cuddy asked.

"Yeah. It is. I need to tell you...I need to tell you about Lydia."

_I'm really going to try and update tomorrow night so don't worry! ; )_


	8. Truth and Lies

Truth and Lies

_I know that some of you are super confused about why I had House mention Lydia. Well…hopefully this chapter will clear that up for you! Enjoy your 8__th__ chapter and thanks for the awesome reviews! : )_

Cuddy stared down at House, curiously. "Lydia? Who is Lydia? Was she someone from Michigan?"

House shook his head slowly and gulped. "While we are trapped in here and I'm dying I guess I might as well tell you what happened at Mayfield."

Cuddy looked down at House strangely, her heart dropping to her stomach. What could have happened at Mayfield….?

House was still holding tightly to her hand, and although his pain had tapered off for the moment it seemed to return to him…but in a psychological form. "Lydia was a visitor at Mayfield. Her sister-in-law was a patient. She came to Mayfield to…to visit her sister and she played the piano for her," House stopped and looked up at Cuddy whose face was still blank. She was waiting for more.

"I came to see her a lot. She played the piano and we…I don't know…connected," House shrugged and it was Cuddy's turn to be shocked. He was being truthful with her…no bullshit, no sarcasm. Just plain truthful. This woman must have been important to him.

"Then one night we were at a dinner and she…she kissed me. On the lips. I thought that it meant something significant so I thought it over and decided to confront her about it." House stopped for a second and looked up at the ceiling. Cuddy looked down at their intertwined hands and held his tighter, letting him know she was still there.

"We were getting along and then we decided to…to sleep together," House refused to look at Cuddy and instead traced the flames on the cane in his mind. "I thought that it was going to go somewhere. That maybe this was my chance to change. And then she springs on me that they are moving to Arizona. Arizona of all places!" House put his head against the wall and looked up at the ceiling, emotionally overcome. And he knew that Cuddy knew it.

"I finally opened up to someone! I finally did…and they left me," House sneaked a glance over to Cuddy, worried about her reaction. What if she was angry? But she wasn't.

Cuddy's face had contorted and tears were pouring down her face. She almost looked as if she was trying not to sob on the spot. "House…" she murmured, trying desperately not to get emotional. But it didn't work. She removed her hand from his and buried her face in her own hands and completely lost it.

House was confused, and looked over at Cuddy. "Why…why are you crying?"

"I just…I can't believe that she did that to you," Cuddy said between her hands.

House was dumbfounded. "I thought that you would be angry! Not upset but angry that…"

Cuddy picked her face up. "You would expect me to be angry with you? Angry with you when I was here with Lucas while you were in Mayfield? Angry with you when we aren't together?! Why would I be angry?"

House shrugged. "I just…I felt like I was lying to you."

"You always lie to me," Cuddy said and snorted as if a laugh was trying to break through her tears.

"Never about anything important," House said and he went back to staring at his cane. "In case we don't get out of here in time and I die or something…I just wanted you to know."

"House…that was your own business. You didn't have to tell me that," Cuddy reiterated.

"Well actually I was hoping that you would tell me about Lucas in return," House interrupted and Cuddy, a little taken aback, stopped.

"You want me to tell you…you want me to talk to you about Lucas?"

"Yes. How you met, when you started dating…"

"House. I already told you…" Cuddy tried.

"Yeah well you didn't tell me everything. I'd like to know," House crossed his arms and stared at her, seeming to drop the vulnerability he had showed moments ago. He looked like the normal House again interrogating her about her personal life.

"I don't think…."

"I told you about Lydia. I deserve to know about Lucas," House demanded.

"You didn't have to tell me about her! Did you just tell me because you wanted me to spill about Lucas?" Cuddy's eyes flashed. "Did you just "open up to me" as a ruse? Is that what this is?!" Cuddy's eyes flashed angrily.

House looked away from Cuddy. "No. It wasn't. I would really like to know what is so special about Lucas that's all." He suddenly swiveled his head back around and faced her. "You owe me that."

Cuddy, knowing there was no hope for escape, merely nodded. "Okay. Okay. Lucas…well…I already told you that I called him after I thought that someone was scamming money. Well I met up with him again and asked him for help. We met over lunch and just kind of…clicked," she shrugged.

"What about last year? When I had him following Wilson? You two didn't "click" then?" House raised his eyebrows.

Cuddy looked uncomfortable all of a sudden and wrapped her arms around herself again. "Well….no," she answered stupidly. Cuddy was blatantly lying and House knew it. He said nothing and went back to twirling his cane around in his left hand.

"He uh…" Cuddy cleared her throat. "He asked me out on a date and I accepted. We went out on a couple more times and he finally asked me to well… be his girlfriend and I accepted."

House said nothing so Cuddy used that as a signal to continue. "He's a really sweet guy. He loves Rachel and takes care of her. He's always there when I need him and is always there to help me when I'm feeling down or just when I need someone to listen. I know that after a hard day at work, I have someone to come home to that cares."

House looked over at her, his eyes sorrowful but his face blank. "You said that you love him? Does he love you?" He asked truthfully.

Cuddy looked down at her hands. "I don't know. I think so. He…he wants to move in with me and he's told me that he loves me before…" she trailed off as if to continue but stopped.

"But you're not one hundred percent sure," House finished a sarcastic edge to his voice.

"Of course I'm sure," Cuddy stood up suddenly and faced the opposite wall rubbing her arms again. House knew she was lying again and it was starting to frustrate him.

"You know…I think that if I've been able to tell you the truth then you shouldn't have any trouble," House announced.

"Well you know what? Of all people to be asking me these questions it's you!" Cuddy said accusingly.

"Why, are their things that you don't want me to know?" House returned in the same accusing voice.

"No!" Cuddy said quickly. "I mean yes! Because you…you're…you!" She threw her hands towards him.

"Wow. That's specific," House stated. And then the pain came surging back and their conversation was temporarily forgotten.

MD

"You have got to be out of your mind," Taub looked at Wilson like he had three heads. "There is no way that we could get that door open."

"We don't have to get it all the way open! Just enough so that we can shout down to them! They only have to be able to hear us!"

"So…we open the door and shout down…what?" Chase asked slowly.

Thirteen rolled her eyes. "Once again we are fighting instead of just making a decision and doing something. Come on! They've been down there nearly all day! Its dinner time we need to get them the hell out of there!"

"Thank you!" Wilson said. "Now if we just pull at the door we can open it a crack and wedge something into it.

"Like…..what?" Chase looked around the hallway in a rather dumb manner.

"Does House have something in his office?" Thirteen wondered out loud and took off down the hall followed closely by Foreman.

"He's already got his cane with him," Foreman said out of breath at the door of House's office. Thirteen had already gone inside and was tearing through his stuff.

"He's got to have something in here that we can put in the door!" Thirteen whined.

"This plan sounds ridiculous you know that right?" Foreman leaned against the door and had his arms crossed.

"Why does it seem to me that Wilson and I are the only ones that want to get them out of there?" Thirteen glared up at her ex-boyfriend. "Wilson said Cuddy said House was in trouble. We need to do all we can to get them out." Thirteen walked over to Foreman and gave him a nasty look before walking out of the office and down the hall.

Foreman sighed and followed her at a slower pace. Just as he got to the room she went into she exited with a walker. "What the hell…?" He took a step back.

Thirteen ignored him and walked at a quick pace back to the elevator doors. "I've found something!!!" She yelled. The rest of the team that had been in patient rooms, searching, came running back out to the doors.

"A….walker?" Taub looked down at the walker in Thirteen's hand.

"That should work!" Wilson grabbed it and started to bang on the elevator doors and it made a really loud noise.

A nurse stuck her head out of a door and glared at them.

"Sorry! We are trying to save lives here too!" Thirteen yelled at the nurse who rolled her eyes and stuck her head back into the room.

"People are going to start complaining…" Taub whined.

"Okay you know what? Either you three need to shut the hell up and help Thirteen and I or get out of here!" Wilson whirled and shouted in their faces and the three of them cowered back, stunned at Wilson's outburst.

"You don't have to yell," Chase muttered.

"He's right. We're being dicks we need to help," Foreman said and went over to the elevator. "I'm ready to pull."

Chase and Taub joined them and Wilson seemed to lose his tense posture he had a couple seconds before. "Okay. On three we pull at the same time and when I say go Thirteen shove the walker into the door. Ready? One two….three!" The four men pulled at the door and when Wilson yelled go Thirteen shoved the walker into the door.

"We did it!" Chase said, amazed.

"Greg! Lisa!" Wilson shouted into the elevator shaft. He hit the elevator door a couple times and waited.

A couple seconds later he heard a returning bang. "Greg!! Lisa!!" Wilson shouted again.

Wilson stuck his head in the crack and heard Cuddy yell "James!" It was faint but it was there.

He turned to the others and they all smiled with relief. "Are you two alright?!" Wilson shouted back. He stopped and put his ear to the door. Cuddy shouted something back that Wilson couldn't quite hear. "Are you two alright?!?!" He tried again.

Wilson put his ear back to the door and heard what Cuddy shouted back this time. "Oh dear god" Wilson turned to the team and his face had gone white.

"What is it? What's the matter?!" Chase asked, alarmed.

"It was Cuddy. She yelled 'infarction'. Infarction!" Wilson put his head on the door. "Oh god……"

"But he can't…" Thirteen put a hand to her mouth. "He can't possibly…"

"Well he obviously is." Wilson turned back to the elevator. "We are getting you help!!!!!!" He shouted at the top of his lungs and banged on the door.

He heard a faint "thank you" and a returning bang. "We gotta go find someone right now!" Wilson turned and fled down the hallway followed by the team.

MD

"He heard us!" Cuddy grinned and sighed with relief. She sank down against the wall. "They know now House. They are going to get us out of here." She smiled over at House who had just finished going through his pain relapse and was dripping sweat and his vision was still hazy. His pain had gone up to a 9 on the scale and was borderline unbearable. He didn't know how he was going to be able to make it through the next chunk of pain. He had nearly passed out this time.

"We can make it House we can make it!" Cuddy grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

House just sighed and put his head back against the wall. "I think I'm going to have to lie down soon" he croaked. "The sitting up is making it worse now."

Cuddy nodded and reached out to adjust him but he held his hand up. "First we need to finish our conversation."

Cuddy frowned. "What? What conversation?"

"The one we were talking about before." House responded and Cuddy sighed. "Lucas."

"Yes." House's voice was still dull and raspy but it was steady enough.

Cuddy nodded her head slowly and shifted to sit cross legged directly in front of House. "Okay. Okay. What else do you want to know?"

"We left off on whether or not Lucas loved you," House stated and Cuddy sighed and hung her head down to her knees. "House…"

She picked her head back up but House was staring at her patiently. "I know you were lying to me. Do you really love Lucas?"

"Yes. I told you I do!" She exclaimed.

"I don't think you do."

"I do!"

"No you don't!" House's voice came out loud and raspy.

"I said that I loved him an hour ago and you didn't argue with me. NOW you're convinced you know my thoughts?" Cuddy put her hands in the air. "DO explain."

House wiped his forehead with his jacket again. "You said that he was sweet and that he was there for you and took care of Rachel."

"Yeah…."

"That's not love Cuddy!" House exclaimed.

"Oh and you know?" Cuddy crossed her arms and stared at him.

"Remember what it was like when you were young?" House asked, trying to make Cuddy really think.

Cuddy nodded and fiddled with her shirt. "Yeah I do. It was the most exciting thing in the world…" she trailed off, remembering. "It was like…nothing else mattered in the world except you and that person when you are together. You want to spend all your time with them, you can't stop thinking about them, and you get butterflies in your stomach, you're just happy to be with them…." Cuddy's eyes glittered and she looked back over at House.

House had closed his eyes. "And do you feel that way about Lucas?"

"Of course!" Cuddy said softly.

"I'm not going to argue with you Cuddy," House said and opened his eyes. "Just…if I die promise me that you won't spend the rest of your life with that idiot. At least marry Wilson," he added. His voice had taken a more joking tone and Cuddy laughed a little bit.

House picked up his leg carefully and adjusted it, lying back down horizontally to the back of the elevator.

"Is the pain coming back?" Cuddy asked, worried.

"Not yet. But it will soon," House responded.

"I…uhhhh…." Cuddy scooted over next to him. "Thank you."

"For what?" He made a face.

"Just…for being honest," Cuddy said and then her face fell and she turned away. She felt terrible for not being honest with him. But if she told him the truth…she was so afraid! What would he think? How would he respond?

"House…" Cuddy took a deep breath and turned back to him but his pain had returned.

He yelled out and this time the tears did come. He couldn't hold them in any longer. His pain swelled and he grew dizzy. Even while lying down.

Cuddy's face changed back and she picked up his head cradling it in her lap. She mopped his forehead again and wiped his hair away from his face.

"Cuddy," he said softly and grabbed her hand.

"What is it?" She asked.

"What…what were you going…to say," he croaked out.

"N-nothing," Cuddy shook her head and he gripped her hand tighter.

"Tell me."

Cuddy bit her lip and looked down at House guiltily. "I uh…I lied to you."

House's vision grew hazier and he began to see black but he held onto Cuddy's hand longer.

"I…don't think I'm really in love with Lucas," Cuddy stated slowly. "I think…he's…just…security," Cuddy admitted. She looked down at House, surprised at her own revelation. He nodded his head, letting her know he had heard her.

"I just…I wanted to think that maybe I could be happy with security," Cuddy looked up at the ceiling. "Maybe I could…" she looked back down at House. "House?! HOUSE!!" He had fainted.

_I hope you enjoyed the new update! I'm completely booked for tomorrow so won't be able to update until Sunday. 3 more days until House comes back! Woo hoo!!!!!!_


	9. Bedtime Stories

Bedtime Stories

_I can't believe all of the reviews that I am getting for this story! I am so happy that you all love this! I'm having a BLAST writing it as well : ) More thanks to Lynnie1967 for your continued influx of ideas and to Brighid45 for all of your support and encouragement. So enjoy your 9__th__ chapter everyone!_

"House! HOUSE!" Cuddy shook his shoulders. No response. She slapped his cheek a couple times and then stopped. She looked down at his face which was blank and…relatively pain free. Cuddy knew that it was better to just leave him unconscious during the brunt of the pain. If she woke him up, he may just faint again. Cuddy sighed and leaned her head back to stare at the ceiling.

"House…I'm sorry," Cuddy said quietly. "I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry about Michigan, the infarction, the hallucination, Mayfield. I'm sorry about Lucas." She sighed again and kept her head up which kept the tears back. She looked back down at House and brushed away the hair that had fallen from his forehead.

"I mean…I should have known that I don't really love Lucas you know?" Cuddy lifted her hand in the air, more talking to herself than House now. "I met him and he was…he was everything that I ever wanted! He was kind and thoughtful and he filled that void in my life that…" Cuddy took a quivering breath and stopped. "Of course it's probably no use talking to you. It's not like you can hear me." Cuddy shrugged and continued to comb House's hair back with her fingers while she stared into space.

"But what am I supposed to do without Lucas?!" She cried into the air. "He's there for Rachel and me. He takes care of us. I know you think I'm an idiot but I like to be taken care of! It…I don't want to be independent forever! I'll have to go back to using the nanny all the time…and Rachel will miss Lucas so much!" Cuddy let out a little sob and stuck her fist between her eyes as if to stop the emotion from flowing out. Cuddy looked back down at House.

"And it's not even as if you made it easier on me you know!" She said angrily to his unconscious body. "You did EVERYTHING possible to make my life miserable since I hired you! You ruined nearly every single one of my dates! I finally get the opportunity to get a baby and you…you destroy that! What was your goal? What was your purpose?! Were you worried that I would leave you?!" Cuddy took her fist and hit it against the elevator wall, hard. It hurt, but it made a loud dinging noise that echoed throughout the elevator.

House was still completely out; he didn't even flinch when Cuddy hit the elevator wall. She put her face to the wall. "But then again you've done so many things for me too House! The desk…the desk from med school! How did you even find that out?" She looked down at him, surprised all over again. "It was so nice…and when I was doing IVF! You didn't even tell Wilson! Those tickets for Rachel. And coming to my house after I lost Joy…" Cuddy stopped and started crying.

"I think you've been trying in your own way" Cuddy sobbed. "And after Mayfield I just…" Cuddy stopped. "Please forgive me House. Please?" Cuddy sobbed harder. She took his head out of her lap and shifted over so that she was sitting next to him. She hugged her knees and cried harder rocking back and forth. It seemed as if years of pent up emotions were coming out all at once and she couldn't hold it back anymore.

She glanced back over quickly at House but he was still out. She stretched out on the ground next to him and faced him. She kept crying and didn't realize how tired out she was until she had fallen asleep.

MD

The next thing House remembered was that everything hurt. His head was pounding and his leg felt like it was aflame. House tried to open his eyes and couldn't at first. His entire body was hot and he could feel the sweat pouring out of him from what seemed like every orifice.

House tried opening his eyes again and this time was partially successful. His sight was hazy. Disoriented, House forgot where he was for a second and then when he realized he was in an elevator he groaned out loud. Well…it came out in more of a moan.

House suddenly felt something move next to him and he froze, scared. He moved his head to the left slightly and saw Cuddy lying merely centimeters from him, fast asleep. He swiveled his head forward and then next to him again, as if making sure that what he was seeing was actually real. It was.

He picked up his hand and poked her arm gently and she twitched slightly. Her mouth was open and House could hear her taking each breath. Her eyes were red and puffy and House felt a stab knowing that she must have cried herself into this sleep. Her tears had gotten onto the ends of her hair and they had begun to curl up slightly throwing off the straight hair look that she had been trying so hard to keep lately.

House sighed and directed his attention back to the elevator wall. He didn't know how much more of this he could take. Grimacing, he lifted his aching arm and looked at his wristwatch. It was seven in the evening. He was really, really thirsty. His throat was dry and he opened his mouth but his tongue felt like a wooden log in his mouth. He let out a dry throaty cough and turned his head to see if it woke Cuddy. She was still fast asleep. He let out another dry throaty cough, louder this time, but Cuddy still didn't move.

He let out another loud sigh and went back to staring at the wall. He didn't think that he could take much more of this. Another clump of dirt fell from the elevator shaft to the floor and he groaned, again, but it sounded like a moan, again. He wished that he could reach his cane…he felt the need to fiddle with something to keep him busy. Get his mind off the pain….But seeing Cuddy asleep next to him. It reminded him of the time when he had shocked his brain to save Amber.

Again, she was the one that was there for him, even when Wilson wasn't. She had hired him…at PPTH. When no one else wanted to. After he had hurt her so many times…she kept coming back. Even after Lucas. Here she was, lying here trying to take care of him the way that she had ten years before during his first infarction.

"I'm…sorry," House managed through his raspy voice. But he knew that he wasn't going to be able to speak much more until surgery. If they ever got out of here… House put his arm up to his forehead to wipe the sweat off of his brow and to block the light from coming into his eyes anymore than it had to. It was making the headache worse.

House abruptly turned his head towards Cuddy when he heard her make a noise. She was still asleep but her face was distorted and her eyes were moving rapidly beneath their lids. Fresh tears started coursing down her face and House knew that she was having a nightmare. He lifted his arm and shook hers. When she didn't respond he shook her again and her eyes fluttered before opening and staring at him, also disoriented.

Then she woke up suddenly and bolted up into a sitting position. "Are you alright? How's your pain?" She sniffled and wiped her nose with her sleeve.

House grimaced. "Hurts…hurts everywhere" he managed in his raspy voice. "Water."

"I don't have any water House," Cuddy said pathetically. "I wish I did but…oh no what happens if you are dehydrated? That would make everything so much worse…" she did a face palm before facing him again. "Before you fainted…what was your pain? On the scale?"

"9" House managed.

Cuddy stared at him. "By the way that your pain is coming and going…I'm going to wager that we have about another 2 hours before…before you…" Cuddy trailed off unable to finish. But House understood what she meant. He nodded his head in agreement.

MD

Wilson skidded to a halt in the middle of the lobby and House's team all nearly ran headlong into him.

"Would you care to explain to us what you plan to do next?" Chase asked, panting. "We searched the entire hospital and no one seems to think that they can leave their post."

"But not if I pretend to be speaking for Cuddy…" Wilson said. He turned around and walked over to the nurse's station and picked up the intercom. "Attention please. Dr. Cuddy needs all available mechanics to the first floor lobby immediately. I repeat all available mechanics. Yes, that includes those of you working on appliances that aren't currently saving someone's life." Wilson hit the off button. "Now we wait and see who comes."

"I gotta admit that's a pretty good idea," Foreman reasoned. "If they don't come to that announcement no one will."

"We just have to hope that someone comes or House is screwed," Taub finished.

Everyone glared at him and he shrunk back slightly.

"Excuse me, Dr. Wilson? I've got a call here for Dr. Cuddy. No one has been able to locate her. The man on the line said it was very important." A nurse handed Wilson an extension line.

Wilson picked up the phone. "This is Dr. James Wilson how may I help you?"

"James! You have no idea how glad I am to hear your voice. Where's Lisa? I've been trying to contact her she was supposed to be home 2 hours ago!"

"Lucas?" Wilson was stunned. "I…I didn't expect this to be you I thought it was a medical donor or something…"

"I've tried her cell phone and the hospital phone and I'm getting very worried. I had to come relieve the babysitter and Rachel has terrible diaper rash and dinner was…"

"Yeah. Ummm….as much as I'd love to hear about you and Lisa's home life now is not really a good time."

"What is going on?!?!"

"It's…nothing. We just had a little power outage here because of the storms and Lisa has been very busy all day trying to fix the problem," Wilson cupped his hand over the receiver and turned to House's team who were pretending not to be listening in.

"Well why hasn't she called me?" Lucas demanded.

"I don't know," Wilson said in an annoyed tone. "Look as soon as she is available I will have her call you. It may be another few hours yet."

"You don't sound like everything is alright," Lucas pushed.

"You know what? I'm just a little stressed out right now and need to get back to work. It's going to be a late night. I'll have Lisa call you. Good bye Lucas." Wilson hung up the phone and turned to House's team who were pretending to be distracted by inanimate objects located in the lobby.

"Who was that?" Chase asked nonchalantly.

"Lucas," Wilson responded, deciding he might as well just tell. They would be asking him the rest of the night anyway.

"He was asking for Cuddy…." Thirteen made a face. "Did you just bullshit a story?"

"Nope. I told him that she is stuck in an elevator with House," Wilson said sarcastically. "Of course I bullshitted a story! I told him she's working late. That should hold him off long enough to get them out of the elevator."

Just then Bill the mechanic walked up. "Dr. Wilson?"

Wilson noticed him and shook his hand. "Bill. Did you come for the announcement…?"

Bill nodded. "Yeah. I got one of my buddies to cover for me so that I could help Dr. Cuddy and what's his face out of the elevator. I think someone else is coming to…ahh there he is." Bill pointed to a tall gangly guy with freckles. "This is Ron."

Wilson stared. "This is it? You two are the only people that could possibly come and help?!"

Bill shrugged sheepishly. "I'm sorry. But I think that with the two of us going at it we could fix it in another hour or two."

"Well then get at it! They are stuck in between the first and second floor and House is really sick. You have to hurry!" Everyone followed the repairmen as they set to work fixing the elevators.

MD

Cuddy went back to rocking back and forth and hugging her knees, an awkward silence filling the air. House was still lying down, pretty much unable to speak anymore. Cuddy turned to face him. "It's really quiet. You want me to tell you a bedtime story?"

House rolled his eyes and made a face and Cuddy smiled. "I just think we need to close the silence you know? It's killing me." Cuddy got up and began pacing. She avoided the area where she had removed the ceiling tile and went back to futilely pushing the emergency button.

There was another really long silence and Cuddy tried to think of something to say to fill the void. "Soooo…who is your proxy now?"

House wet his lips and cleared his throat. "Wilson," he said quietly. Cuddy nodded and fiddled around with more of the elevator buttons. "You know I'm getting good at telling the bedtime stories are you sure that you don't want to hear one?"

House let out a long drawn out sigh which was a signal to Cuddy to go ahead and tell the story. She walked back over and sat down next to House, clearing her throat.

"Aahhhhh-hem. Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess named Lisa."

House snorted and Cuddy made a stern face. "Excuse me please do not interrupt."

House rolled his eyes and clasped his hands together in mock attention.

"As I was saying there was a beautiful princess named Lisa. Now she had an evil Stepmother that wanted to be the fairest in all of New Jersey. But the Magic Mirror told her that Lisa was." Cuddy paused but House made no obnoxious reactions.

"Now Lisa's evil stepmother decided that if she just killed her then she would be the fairest in New Jersey. So she sent a Bounty Hunter into the woods to kill Lisa…"

"Lucas," House wheezed out and Cuddy slapped his arm gently. "This is my story stop interrupting! Anyway this Bounty Hunter left Lisa in the forest to fend for herself. After she wandered in the woods for a little while she stumbled upon a hospital that was quaint and nice but needed some work. So she began to work on it. She met 7 cute little doctors that worked inside: Eric, Chris, Allison, Robert, Lawrence, Remy, and Greg."

House made a face but Cuddy ignored it and continued. "Anyway, what Lisa really wanted was a prince; she longed to meet Prince James." House's mouth dropped open and he stuck his finger into his mouth and made retching noises.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Well anyway the evil stepmother transformed herself into an old nurse and brought Cuddy some Vicodin telling her that if she took it, it would make her feel nice." House gave Cuddy a thumbs up sign. "So, she took the Vicodin because the old nurse seemed so nice and Lisa OD'd and had a heart attack. The poor little doctors didn't know what to do! The only thing they could think of that would work would be CPR from Prince James."

"Oh brother," House managed to mutter and Cuddy chuckled a little bit. "Anyway, Prince James came across Lisa and gave her CPR and she came back. The little doctors strapped the evil stepmother to an x-ray machine and left it on so that she would die from poisoning, and Prince James whisked Lisa off in his Mercedes and they all lived happily ever after. The End." Cuddy folded her hands together and put them in her lap.

"That was….mental" House mouthed. Cuddy put a hand to her ear as if she couldn't understand House and he just swatted his arm in her direction.

They sat there for another long pause before House mouthed "Thank you."

Cuddy frowned slightly. "For what? A mental story?"

House shook his head. "You stopped the pain for a little while."

Cuddy smiled. "You want to hear about Sleeping Lisa?"

House opened his mouth and then closed it quickly before pointing to his leg.

Cuddy's face fell. "Oh no…"

MD

"Can you work any faster?" Wilson pleaded at Bill who shot him another annoyed glance.

"You know…the more you badger me the slower I'm going to work," his voice had grown more and more irritated.

"House is dying in there! You need to be quicker!" He urged.

"Why don't you get surgery prepped for when they get House out of there," Foreman suggested, placing a hand on Wilson's shoulder. "It will give you something to do."

"Good idea!" Wilson turned and headed over to the nurse's station but stopped. His stomach dropped.

Lucas came waltzing through the front doors of the hospital.

_Hope you enjoyed the update! Less than 24 hours until the next episode!!!! Hopefully I will be updating tomorrow but I don't know yet. It may depend on how the episode goes…_

_P.S. I wrote my own version of what happened between House and Cuddy off screen during and after "Wilson's Heart" which I briefly mentioned here. It's a short little one shot if you want to read it it's called "House and Cuddy's Heart" : )_


	10. Trouble

Trouble

_Hey all! Sorry that I didn't update last night but I was in such a good mood after that episode (it was so great! : ) so no ideas came to me. But I know that I can't hold off on your guys more than a night or two so here is your 10__th__ chapter! This story is in the homestretch now!_

Wilson put his head down on the desk and banged it a couple times in succession.

"James! Hey! I thought I'd better stop in and see for myself what is going on," Lucas said, in a fake voice.

"I told you everything was under control," Wilson said his head still down on the counter.

"Well…you hang out with House too much for me to believe you," he returned. He had a point.

"Lucas! Hi! What are you doing here?" Thirteen walked up and held out her hand.

Lucas shook it but glanced quickly around. "Where's Lisa?"

"Hey Dr. Wilson was Lisa able to give you their exact location in this thing?" Bill shouted from the elevator doors.

Wilson picked his head up and glanced at Thirteen who in turn glanced at Lucas. Lucas blinked a couple times. "Ummm….what is he talking about?"

"Oh….a couple employees got trapped in the elevator during the power outage this morning. But no big deal," Thirteen shrugged it off and Wilson merely went along, nodding stupidly.

"So….do I have your permission to go find her?" Lucas asked.

Wilson held out a hand and Lucas walked by and down the hall.

Taub walked up to Wilson and Thirteen. "So…how long do you figure this will give us?"

"I'd say twenty minutes," Wilson answered. "So we can only hope that they can get them out of there before that."

MD

House came out of his newest bout of pain and it wasn't looking good. Cuddy again asked him the level of his pain and he said that in another hour he might go into a coma.

Cuddy's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious!"

House sighed and turned his head so that he was facing the wall, letting Cuddy know that he didn't want to talk about it.

"House…we are out of time here!" Cuddy's voice sounded strong but House could hear the dread masked behind it. "I'm going to climb out of that shaft," she said decidedly. She walked over to the railing and felt House's hand close tightly around her ankle.

Cuddy stopped and turned to House. He had sat up and leaned over to grab her leg. He had a grimace on his face from the intensity of the pain but his grip was strong. "Let go of me and lie back down!" But he didn't listen to her and held on.

"House!" Cuddy sat down carefully, with his hand still wrapped around her ankle. She gently tried to pry his fingers off. Then she roughly tried to pry them off. But he was still stronger than her. She groaned and looked back up at him. "Will you let go of me and lie down?! You're in pain! Why are you so concerned about me?"

"Do NOT climb into that shaft" he said sternly, in his raspy voice. It was quiet and she could barely hear him sitting a couple feet in front of her.

"And why the hell not?" She folded her arms. "You're in trouble and no one is coming to the rescue. I am the only one capable of doing anything to help." She tried to stand back up but his grip on her ankle was as tight as ever.

"House!" She shrieked.

"You'll kill yourself," he argued.

"I was a cheerleader in high school and took gymnastics. I think I can handle climbing in an elevator shaft," she finished.

"Rachel," he protested. Cuddy looked at House and groaned. He had her. He knew her one weakness and had hit it right on the spot. She glared at him. "Fine. I won't climb out."

House stared into her eyes. "You promise me."

Cuddy sighed and uncrossed her arms. "Alright. I promise. I promise I won't try and climb out into the elevator shaft." House stared at her, searching her eyes for another minute before letting go and lying back down.

Cuddy went back to pacing in the elevator, and House watched her out of the corner of his eye. Cuddy ran a hand through her hair and stopped to rest her forehead on the elevator door.

"Cuddy," House said suddenly. She turned to him and he motioned for her to come over and sit by him. She slowly walked over and sat down next to him.

House wet his lips and opened and closed his mouth a couple times. Cuddy waited patiently as House tried to prepare to speak. He closed his eyes. "When I get better I'm leaving the hospital." He opened his eyes again and saw Cuddy's shocked expression.

"W-why?" She asked.

"I can't stay here anymore" House shrugged his shoulders.

"Why?" Cuddy asked again.

House didn't answer, but Cuddy already knew the answer. She sniffed and looked up at the ceiling. "Well…you won't have to leave. Because I am."

House looked over at her, questioning. She suddenly took his hand and held it. "I can't stay here anymore either. I figured that it would be easier for me to take a job somewhere else so that you can stay here with the Diagnostics Department."

"I'll just get fired," House responded nonchalantly. "I might as well leave."

Cuddy bit her lip and tried not to start crying again. All she seemed to be doing lately was cry. "No House. I should be the one to leave. Maybe…we can get someone to take my job that knows you…trusts you."

House shook his head. "No. No one else can put up with me." He gripped onto her hand tighter. She looked down at his hand again which was holding hers and felt the hot tears coming up behind her lids and starting to leak from her eyes. They were salty and stung her already puffy eyes. "I…I don't understand how it got this bad. I mean…" Cuddy stopped and took a shaky breath before sniffling. She kept her head down and House knew that she was trying to hide her emotion from him.

He said nothing for a couple minutes, trying to think of what to say. "Well…I won't stay mad if you won't."

Cuddy looked up and smiled through her tears. "I've never stayed mad at you for long. It's impossible."

"It's because you can't resist my sexy bod," House tried to laugh and ended up just coughing and Cuddy had to wait for him to get his bearings. But his voice had weakened more and it was now nearly impossible to hear him. She had to lean in closely to understand what he was saying.

"It was more along the lines of…you are a brilliant doctor and I needed you," Cuddy finished, smiling a little again.

"You needed my medical skills or you needed me?" House asked, not losing his knack for hitting home. Cuddy looked down again.

"Some things never change," House responded and Cuddy almost didn't hear it. But she popped her head back up fast, her eyes blazing.

"You expect me to just be honest with you?! After all of the shit you have put me through all these years and you expect me to just admit what I'm feeling?! I don't even know how I feel!"

"Stacy was at least honest with me," House retorted quietly.

Cuddy slapped him across the cheek. "Bastard." She got up and walked away but not before House saw a new fresh batch of tears cascade down her face. Fresh pain seared back up through his leg and he growled in frustration and pain.

Cuddy didn't turn back around. "You know that….you know that I told Stacy not to leave Mark all those years ago. I told her she should stay with him and not go to you. Even though I knew she might make you happy again."

"Are you trying to make me hate you?" House asked her.

"No. I'm trying to be truthful!" Cuddy shouted and she whirled back around to face him. "I thought that is what you wanted! I'm being honest with you! I was afraid that if Stacy went back to you that…that I'd lose you." She stopped. "Even though you're an arrogant asshole you are really my only…friend," Cuddy shrugged pitifully.

"You consider me…your friend?" House asked, trying not to sound touched. But he was. He actually was. After all that he had put her through because he couldn't admit his own feelings…she still cared about him.

"Yeah." Cuddy looked at him sadly. "You've…you've almost always been here. Not when I want you to and certainly not exactly as support but you've just been….here. It's a comfort."

"What if I die?" House whispered.

"You won't die!" Cuddy cried. "They will get us out of here! We still have some time! Wilson is trying I know he is!" Cuddy walked back over and sat down next to him. House merely stared at Cuddy sadly and she couldn't deny that she was beginning to lose hope too.

MD

"Yeah….Dr. Wilson I think that we've got a problem," Bill said and Wilson jumped up out of his seat that he was sitting in. He had stationed himself next to Bill in the lobby. "Well what is it? What's going on?"

"The problem here is that the elevator is not attached properly to the generator. I've been trying to go around that but there is no way to."

"What does that mean?!" Wilson asked his voice high with alarm.

"It means that the only way to get the elevator started is to turn off the generator," Bill looked up at Wilson sheepishly. "We would have to turn the power off to the entire hospital and then re-attach the elevator and then turn the generator back on."

Wilson ran a hand through his hair and left his hands on his head as he turned around to face the team. They had heard him and all looked between one another, dismayed.

"There is NO way we can shut the entire hospital down again. People will die!" Chase exclaimed.

"Well then we have to get the regular power back on!" Thirteen cried.

Foreman shook his head. "It's not possible. The power lines are down."

"Then what the hell are we supposed to do?!" Thirteen looked between her colleagues. "We can't just leave them in there!"

"We're going to have to," Taub responded. "Until we can get the power back on."

"It's almost eight o clock at night! It could be all night before they have the power back on! And House may not have that kind of time!"

"Well what do you expect us to do?!" Foreman responded. "It's not like we can go into the elevator shaft and get them out!"

Thirteen and Chase both turned to look at Wilson whose eyes lit up instantly. Foreman and Taub both followed the gaze to Wilson and then exchanged their own glances.

"NO way" Taub threw his hands out. "NO WAY."

"It's the only option we've got," Wilson said, defeated. "House could be dying in there!"

"Do you know how dangerous it is to go in there?!" Foreman demanded of Wilson. "We would need firemen, specialized technicians…."

"Then go call them!" Wilson yelled. "We don't have time to waste here! I'd say leave them in there overnight except for the fact that Cuddy would be trapped in there with a CORPSE!"

"Wilson…"Taub tried.

"I need you and Foreman to go call the firemen right now. Tell them what is going on and have them send people over. And THEN send technicians from the area that are experts with elevators. I don't care where the hell they are get them here now! It's an emergency." Foreman and Taub stared at him stupidly. "GO!" Wilson shouted and they took off.

He turned back to Chase and Thirteen. "You two stay with me. We are going to have to deal with Lucas when he comes back."

"What do you mean deal with me?" Lucas approached from down the hall and the three doctors whirled around to face him.

Wilson glanced at Thirteen and Chase who both glanced back at him.

"Maybe we should just tell him," Thirteen suggested quietly to Wilson under her breath. "He's just going to keep asking questions. He IS a private investigator."

"TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON!" Lucas yelled and he approached Wilson, Chase and Thirteen.

Wilson took a deep breath and looked down at his shoes. "Cuddy got trapped in the elevator with House when the power surged. They've been in there all day and we've been trying to get them out. House is…House is sick and we had to call the firefighters so they can get them out."

"Oh my….." Lucas put a hand up to his face and sighed. "What am I going to do? What if she's hurt what if…?"

"Lucas!" Wilson interrupted. "You need to relax! We will rescue them! You need to chill out."

"You're telling me to chill out?!" He asked, a little nastily.

"My best friend is dying in there!! Don't you even start!" Wilson shouted. "Go sit down over there so we can fix this without you getting in the way!" Lucas glared at him and walked over to sit down at the nurse's station.

Wilson turned around and kicked the wall angrily.

MD

House and Cuddy had been sitting together quietly for a couple minutes, Cuddy still holding tightly to House's hand.

"Can I ask you something?" House managed to say. Cuddy nodded.

"Will you…will you stay with me while I'm having surgery?" He asked quietly, uncertain.

Cuddy looked down at House, surprised but moved. "You…you want me to…what about Wilson?"

"I want him there too…but I want you there. Will you please stay with me during surgery?"

Cuddy nodded. "Yeah. Yeah if you want me too. Yeah." She nodded again and wiped her eyes with her free hand.

House seemed to sigh with relief. "I want Chase to be the surgeon," he demanded in a stronger voice.

Cuddy nodded again.

House lay back down on his back and then suddenly sat back up, grabbing Cuddy's arm. "You can't let them cut my leg off."

Cuddy, in the back of her mind, somehow knew this was coming and shook her head. "House… I can't…I can't promise you that. If the damage is too bad…."

"No!" House looked dangerously close to breaking down. "I made it out of one surgery with my leg I can make it out of another one."

"You don't know that."

"Then let me die," House lay back down on the floor and closed his eyes.

"No! House!" Cuddy picked up his head so that it was inches from her. "I am not going to let you die do you hear me? I don't care what happens I'm not going to let you."

"Please," House opened his eyes, begging, and Cuddy noticed that he had started to cry. "Don't let them take my leg. Don't let them take it Lisa. Don't let them!" He held onto her hand tightly.

Cuddy started crying, louder this time. "House…"

House turned away and stared at the wall. "House…" she tried again. He continued to stare at the wall away from her, crying now and refusing to look at her.

Cuddy took a deep, shaky breath and let out another little sob. "Alright. I won't let them take your leg. Even if…even if it kills you," the sob came out again and she couldn't hold it back anymore.

"Write it on my legs." House turned to her, dead serious.

"Wha…" Cuddy stared at him. "I can't…"

"Take the pen from the case file and write it on my legs," House demanded in his raspy voice.

Cuddy walked over picked up the pen and pulled his pants down, writing on his legs just as Stacy had done over ten years ago. She capped the pen put his pants back on and looked over at him. "Ok."

"Thank you," House looked at her sincerely.

Cuddy couldn't stop crying. "If you die…"

"It's my fault," House finished.

Cuddy nodded. "I just…."

House suddenly grabbed onto her arm. "Cuddy…I…I'm…I'm getting…." He stared at her and felt his eyelids getting heavy. "I'm having…I'm…"

"What is it? What's…." Cuddy gripped onto him in terror. "What's going on?!"

"I….think…com….com…" House's eyes starting closing and he grabbed her arm more forcefully .

"House! HOUSE!" She screamed desperately. "Don't go away! Stay with me! Stay with me! HOUSE!"

A floor away, three doctors heard Cuddy's shouts and stared at one another in desperation.

_The next chapter will definitely have some action! Lol please keep the reviews coming! I love hearing all that you have to say even if it's just your reactions!_


	11. To The Rescue

To The Rescue

_Thanks for all the continued reviews everyone and I'm glad you like it! Here is your much anticipated 11__th__ chapter and House and Cuddy's rescue. Enjoy! _

"HOUSE! HOUSE!" Cuddy grabbed onto his shoulders and started shaking him. "Please wake up! Please wake up!" She put him back down on the floor and put two fingers to his neck. His heart rate was steady…but low. She opened his mouth and leaned in, putting her ear centimeters from him and could feel steady respiration.

Cuddy took a deep breath and picked up his cane. She rammed it into his leg. He didn't respond. "Oh House…" Cuddy rested her head on his chest and lay there trying to keep from starting into a fresh batch of tears. He was in a coma.

Cuddy heard her name and picked her head up quickly. She heard it again and walked over to the opening she had created in the ceiling. She saw a thin stream of light up ahead.

"James!!" She yelled up. She heard her name more clearly this time. It looked like they had opened the doors to the second floor landing. "House is in a coma!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.

"House is in a coma?!" James shouted back.

"YES!" Cuddy responded. "Please get us out of here!"

"What?!"

"He's going to die!!!!!" Cuddy screamed.

"The firemen are coming!!" Wilson shouted back and Cuddy heard him clearly this time. "Thank you! He wants Chase as the surgeon!!" Cuddy's voice had already grown hoarse from yelling up the shaft and yelling while trying to wake House up. She turned back to House. "See? They ARE coming for us." She sat back down next to him and gripped back onto his hand.

MD

Wilson turned to Thirteen and Chase. "Did you hear her?"

They both nodded solemnly. Wilson pointed to Chase. "He wants you to do his surgery."

"What?" Chase looked stunned. "But me? He thinks I'm an idiot! I would…"

"Chase. Obviously he trusts you enough to do his surgery. Go RIGHT NOW. Prep yourself and grab two of our best doctors to help you. I don't care if the ER is booked, unbook it this is more important."

Chase turned and ran down the hallway. Wilson turned to Thirteen. "I need you to…" He stopped and heard the sound of approaching sirens. Foreman and Taub came running back into the lobby. Wilson pointed to Thirteen and Foreman. "I need you two to get a gurney, hospital gown, and bring it straight back here. When you're done, go see if Chase needs help. Taub you go get IV fluids, morphine, and water for Cuddy. Go go go!" He ushered them.

He sagged against the wall and put his hand to his face. "You know…you would be a pretty damn good Dean of Medicine too," Bill answered, somewhat admiringly.

"Those are my friends down there," Wilson reiterated. The sirens had gotten closer. Wilson turned to look out the doors and saw the fire truck pull up in front of the building. Lucas, still sitting at the nurse's station, looked back at Wilson in sheer panic. Wilson guessed that he had the same exact look on his own face.

MD

Cuddy was just sitting there, holding House's hand, when she suddenly heard loud banging and commotion coming from seemingly everywhere. She gasped and looked around, scared. There was banging on the elevator doors, people running around and yelling, and it sounded like a machine was getting activated.

"They are here for us," Cuddy said. "House stay with me. Please stay with me it's going to be alright!" She got up and looked back into the shaft. The doors had been pried open and she could see the firemen were preparing to lower themselves into the elevator. She watched in fascination as a fireman grabbed onto what appeared to be a rope, but it was attached to something inside the second floor out of her line of vision.

Cuddy jumped out of the way as she saw a man coming barreling down towards her. He landed in the shaft. "Are you alright ma'am?"

"Yes. Yes." She nodded quickly. "But he's not. He's in a coma we have to get him out of here!" Cuddy could feel herself starting to become hysterical.

"Alright well let's get you out of here first," the man reached for her.

"No take him first he's going to die!" She shrieked desperately.

"The elevator is unstable ma'am. You are conscious so you are the first priority," he reached for her and she tried to run from his grasp but he latched onto her waist and tugged at the iron rope. They were lifted up out of the shaft and towards the opening.

Cuddy was suddenly on the second floor and looked around, bewildered. "Lisa!" Wilson grabbed her and hugged her and she held onto him and started crying. "House. House he's…in a coma. He's…"

"Ssshhhh. Ssshhhhh its okay you are alright now." Cuddy suddenly let go and turned around to see the other fireman returning up with House in his arms. He placed House on the gurney and Thirteen immediately began to wheel it towards the ER.

Cuddy started to run after it but Wilson held onto her. "Let me go!" She yelled.

"Lisa! You aren't allowed in there!"

"But I promised! I promised to stay with him during the surgery!" Cuddy was flailing and kicking. She turned and punched Wilson in the face and he doubled over. She fled down the hallway and caught up with Thirteen and Foreman.

"Cuddy what are you doing?" Foreman cried.

She ignored and just continued to move with the gurney until it got to the ER. She ran in and grabbed hospital garb. She washed her hands in the sink and began pouring iodine on her arms.

Wilson caught up to the ER and was holding his eye. "What the hell are you doing?! You can't go in there!"

"Yes I can!" Cuddy continued scrubbing herself incessantly and Wilson walked in and grabbed her arms. She glared at him. "Now I'm going to have to wash all over…"

"CUDDY!" Wilson shook her and it seemed to bring her back to reality. "There's nothing you can do anymore! He's in there and Chase is taking care of him! All you are going to do is get yourself worked up! You need to stop and think!"

"I don't panic," Cuddy repeated.

"Well you're panicking now," Wilson put his hands on her cheeks. "Watch him. From out here. Everything will be fine okay? He's going to be fine."

Cuddy's nostrils flared as she glanced at the doors. She turned back to Wilson and nodded.

Wilson let go. "Now I'm his proxy. I have to be in there in case something happens."

Cuddy nodded again and helped Wilson suit up, before watching him walk into the ER room. She could see House lying on the table, a breathing machine in his mouth. Chase was leaning over his leg and kept handing what looked like pieces of muscle to the doctor standing next to him.

Cuddy turned away and put a hand to her mouth and started to cry again.

Lucas stuck his head in the door. "Lisa? Lisa!" He saw her ragged and dirty appearance. "Are you alright? Please tell me you're alright!" He rushed to her and hugged her.

"I'm fine," Cuddy murmured and pushed him away.

"You don't seem fine," Lucas stated, shocked at her reaction to him. "What happened in there?!"

Cuddy turned back to look into the room. "Please Lucas can you just leave me alone right now? I want to be alone."

"Lisa…you shouldn't be alone right now. That's the last thing you should be," Lucas touched her shoulder. She flinched but didn't move.

"Lisa," He turned her around to face him. "You need to wash up. You need to get some fluids in your body and to rest. Come home."

"No!" Cuddy shrugged him off and turned back around. "I promised that I'd stay with him through the surgery."

"You don't owe him anything Lisa."

"I OWE HIM EVERYTHING!" She whirled around and screamed into his face.

Lucas, taken aback by her outburst, looked hurt. "See? This is what I mean. You need to get out of here. Right now. You are going crazy here."

"No I'm not." Cuddy hugged her arms and went back to watching the surgery.

"Lisa…" he reached for her arm.

She shrugged it off. "Rachel misses you," he tried.

Cuddy turned back around and looked at him, her face softening. "Is she okay? Does the nanny have her?"

Lucas sighed a bit, in response to Cuddy calming down. "She's fine. But she needs her mom Lisa. She needs you."

"House needs me too," Cuddy whispered.

"No. He doesn't. He has James. James will take care of him he doesn't need you Lisa," Lucas' face was set in a determined line.

There was a pause as Cuddy looked back into the room. She watched for a couple more minutes and just as Lucas opened his mouth to speak again Cuddy looked back at him. "I know I can trust you with Rachel. If I stay here and you go home and watch her for me she will be fine."

Lucas stared at her, unbelieving. "You are seriously putting that…that ASS in front of your own daughter?! I don't believe you!" Lucas threw his hands in the air. "You told me just last night that there was nothing here holding you back and now you're…you're…." He ran his hands through his hair, frustrated.

"Is Rachel dying?"

"What?" He looked back at her.

"I said is Rachel dying?" Cuddy asked quietly. "Is she hurt, injured, does she need anything more complicated than dinner?"

Lucas stared at her blankly. "N-no…."

"Then she doesn't 'need me Lucas. House is DYING in there…" she put a hand to her mouth and turned around again.

"I see. So…if something was wrong and you had to choose between House and me…you would choose House. And I'm your boyfriend."

"Shut the hell up Lucas," Cuddy snapped. "You are NOT helping. If you want to help me, PLEASE go take care of Rachel," she turned around and begged of him. "If you care about me at all….just….go."

Lucas opened his mouth as if to say something and then closed it quickly. "Fine." He walked out, slamming the door behind him. It went back and forth back and forth back and forth making a squeaking sound….as he walked out.

Cuddy turned back around. "You may have just cost me my relationship House. Once again."

MD

"Dr. Wilson will you please stand over there you're in the way," Dr. Baer pointed to Wilson who was hovering by the examination table.

Chase continued to work on House, but glanced up at Wilson apologetically before turning back to House's leg. He stopped and turned to Baer. "His leg is really bad."

"I noticed," Dr. Baer added sarcastically. "Now keep working."

"No I mean…" Chase glanced at Wilson again before turning back to Baer. "I think we are going to have to amputate the leg."

"What?" Wilson gasped.

"I'm trying to remove the muscle here but….the damage is…." Chase sighed and leaned against the table and watched House's monitors. "I don't think that there is anything that we can do for him."

Wilson took a deep breath. "If you don't remove his leg…he'll die?"

Chase glanced down at House and then over at Baer before giving Wilson a solemn nod.

Wilson took a deep breath. "Alright. Alright do it then if that's what you need to do to save his life." Wilson nodded and gestured to the leg. Chase took a deep breath and turned to Baer who he nodded to. Baer walked over to the instrument table and readied himself to remove House's leg.

He grabbed the tools and approached House's leg. Then the doors opened and Cuddy walked in, clad in attire.

Baer stopped. "Dr. Cuddy. What are you doing in here?"

She took a deep breath and pointed to the tools. "I can't let you cut off his leg."

"Lisa…." Chase warned.

"He told me. In the elevator he told me that he would rather die than have you cut off his leg. I can't let you do it."

"They have to! He might die!" Wilson cried.

"Then…then…" Cuddy took a deep breath. "Those were his wishes."

"Well I'm his proxy. I won't let you do that. Cut off the leg," Wilson said.

"No!" Cuddy cried.

"Cuddy I'm sorry. I have to listen to Wilson's wishes," Chase looked at her. "You're not his proxy. What Wilson says goes."

"James!" Cuddy whirled on him. "PLEASE keep working on him. PLEASE. Don't give up on his leg yet. If he lives through his surgery…he'll never forgive any of us. He won't want to live! Don't you understand?"

"Cuddy! I do understand!" Wilson exclaimed. "Except I don't think that I can take losing my best friend!" It looked like Wilson was starting to cry too.

"He wants us to take that chance! Don't you see? He wants us to! We need to respect his wishes!"

"We are in charge of saving lives Dr. Cuddy," Baer replied solemnly. "I don't care what he requested, asked, demanded…we have to do what saves him. I'm sorry."

"I can't believe you all!" Cuddy shouted. "Especially you!" She yelled at Wilson. "Do you understand what it's like feeling guilty about doing this to his leg once? I can't live with doing that to his leg again!"

"Listen to yourself!" Wilson grabbed her arms. "I told you you needed to rest! You're exhausted and you're behaving irrationally!" He shouted.

"And you've been running around trying to get us out of here all day you're just as irrational!" Cuddy shouted back.

"Both of you get the hell out!" Chase shouted. "We are trying to save his life here!" He reached for House's leg.

Cuddy, moving faster than they could have realized, ran up to Chase took off her gloves and touched the instrument. Chase glared up at her. "For the love of….." he threw it across the room. "You know what? Fine! Fine. We won't cut the leg off we'll keep working but if he dies…." He took a deep breath and went back to work.

Cuddy sighed in relief and laid her head down on the table.

Wilson crossed his arms and turned his head away. Chase went back to work.

MD

Fifteen minutes later Cuddy and Wilson were standing in the corner of the room watching Chase , Baer, and another doctor by the name of Anderson continue to work on House.

Cuddy tried looking over at Wilson multiple times but all he did was glare at her, nastily. So she settled with watching the surgery. Out of nowhere, House's stats began to crash.

"He's crashing!" Chase shouted.

Wilson and Cuddy turned to one another, a look of sheer horror in both of their eyes.

House went into v-fib. "We need the crash cart!" Baer shouted and Anderson rolled it over. "Charging! Clear!" He put the paddles to House's chest. He was still flat-lining. "Clear!"

"Come on House! Come on!" Wilson yelled.

But Cuddy was seeing everything in slow motion. Chase was yelling "clear" but it sounded slower than he was actually saying it, as if his mouth was moving at three times slower than normal speed.

Cuddy stared at the screen. Chase finally stopped using the paddles after what appeared to be something like 10 tries. Cuddy snapped out of her trance.

"What are you doing?"

Chase shook his head. "Cuddy…he's…"

"No!" Cuddy walked over and grabbed the paddles from him. "Charge! Clear!" She put the paddles on his chest. Nothing.

"Cuddy…" Chase tried again.

"Clear!" She put the paddles to his chest again. Nothing.

"Cuddy. Give up!" Chase said.

"No! Clear!" She put the paddles to his chest again. Nothing.

Cuddy!" Chase grabbed her arm. "It's too late. I'm sorry." He took the paddles from her and put them back.

Cuddy turned to Wilson, her face contorting, and back to House's body. She burst into tears and put her head back down on his chest, holding onto his hand.

Wilson walked over to her and put a hand on her back. "I…." but he stopped. "Lisa…"

Cuddy didn't respond.

"Lisa…look!" Wilson pointed to the monitor which had slowly started to beep.

Cuddy picked her head up and stared at the monitor and then turned to Wilson. "He's…." Cuddy turned to Wilson in amazement.

"Alive" Chase finished the sentence and turned to Cuddy and Wilson in astonishment.

Cuddy looked at Wilson and they hugged one another tightly. Suddenly Cuddy gasped. She turned around and looked down at her hand. She could have sworn that House had just squeezed it.

_So….that was INTENSE huh? ; ) I hope you liked it! Please please please review for me! I'm wrapping this up soon!_


	12. Decisions and Discoveries

Decisions and Discoveries

_Hey everyone! Sorry for the updating delay but things have been CRAZY this past week with moving back into college and starting classes and…..yeah. So here is chapter 12 I'm gonna have to finish this story soon before things get intense in school cuz I don't want to keep leaving you all hanging! So enjoy your second to last chapter! : )_

House's surgery continued for another fifteen hours and Cuddy stayed through the entire surgery. House went into cardiac arrest eight more times, each time with Cuddy fighting tirelessly for his leg. Wilson then proceeded to escort Cuddy back to her house.

Wilson stood in Cuddy's doorway and looked around, as if checking for monsters. "Are you…sure that you're going to be ok?"

Cuddy nodded slowly. "Yeah." Her eyelids starting closing on their own again and she smiled a little. "I'll be fine James. I just need to sleep for a while and then I'll head back to the hospital." She turned to walk into the bedroom and then whirled back around to face Wilson. "If House wakes up will you please call me and let me know?"

Wilson nodded and then suddenly walked up and grabbed Cuddy in a big hug. When he let go Cuddy stared at him, surprised. "What was that for?"

"I'm just glad that you two are alright," Wilson looked like he might start crying and Cuddy gave him another hug. "We're fine. Now go and get some rest and don't start crying on me!" Cuddy patted him on the back and he left quickly. Cuddy glanced around and noticed a small note on the bedroom door from the nanny: _Lisa: I went ahead and took Rachel back with me to my house so that you could have some peace and quiet while you're resting up. I'm so glad to hear that you are alright._ Cuddy smiled at the note andwalked into the bedroom. She noticed a shirt of Lucas' on the ground and felt a pang in her chest. She had been so nasty to him... She picked the shirt up and put it neatly on the chair before lying down on the bed. She was out as soon as her head hit the pillow.

MD

Cuddy woke up thirteen hours later, showered, dressed, and drove back to Princeton Plainsboro. She arrived and was immediately bombarded by House's team.

"How are you feeling?"

"Did you rest?"

"Are you feeling better?"

Cuddy took a step back and then held her arms out as if warding off an attacker and plowed right through him. Without thinking she found herself pushing the button for the elevator. Suddenly feeling queasy, she took a step back and walked over to the stairs before bolting up them as fast as she could. She arrived at House's room and saw that he was still unconscious from the surgery. She sat down on the couch next to the bed and picked up a magazine and began leafing through it.

Wilson walked in the door and Cuddy picked her head up. "James! How is House doing?"

"Well he woke up once but he wasn't really…all there," Wilson approached House's bed. "It could have been the medicine but I'm worried that he has brain damage," he looked at Cuddy, concerned.

"But you…you can't be serious!" Cuddy stared at Wilson in shock. "He can't…I mean…she turned back to look at House. "He wasn't…dead…for very long. Maybe two minutes!" She gulped.

"Yes. But he went into cardiac arrest eight more times Lisa. That's…" he shook his head. "He was mumbling something that I couldn't understand and he seemed completely dazed and confused…" Wilson shook his head.

Cuddy took House's hand gently and stared down at him as the machines beeped. "He looks so…lifeless," Cuddy could feel more hot tears springing to her eyes and she willed them away, a bit more successfully this time.

"Well he's been through this before. Physically he should recover fine his leg is doing well. The surgery that you used last time worked again. Only…if this ever happens again…"

"Well the odds of two infarctions happening…let alone three…." Cuddy couldn't grasp the idea of House having to face this problem again.

"Well with House…everything is unusual," Wilson added truthfully.

Cuddy nodded and then turned to Wilson, guiltily. "You don't think that…you don't think that he will blame me if he has any brain damage do you?"

Wilson shrugged. "He DID ask you to do anything to save his leg but with House…you never know." Wilson turned back around to leave. "I stayed with him when you were gone. Do you think that you could stay here with him now?"

Cuddy nodded. "Sure," she still hadn't let go of House's hand. "Yeah."

Wilson also nodded in reply and left the room.

Cuddy turned back to staring at House. She stood there for a couple more minutes before hearing a knock on the door. She turned to see Lucas standing there.

Cuddy tried to smile, but it didn't really work. She looked back down to House and let go of his hand before walking out of the room and shutting the door behind her.

"Hi," she said awkwardly.

"Hi," he replied just as awkwardly.

"Look I…"

"No. Listen," Lucas interrupted. "I was being a total ass and I wasn't thinking about how you must have been feeling after being stuck with him in an elevator and then having to supervise a nearly suicidal surgery with him barely making it out alive and…" he stopped when he noticed Cuddy starting to twitch uncomfortably.

"The point is…." Lucas took a deep breath. "The point is…I am sorry." He looked at her, sadly. "Please don't…please don't let this ruin what we have."

Cuddy stared at Lucas, remorse written all over his face, and she couldn't be mad. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have just snapped at you like that I was just so worried about him and…" Cuddy stopped and put her head in her hands. Lucas hugged her and she accepted the hug gratefully.

MD

House opened his eyes, unsure of where exactly he was. The lights were very bright and his bum leg hurt like a….House stopped. He picked up his left leg slowly and nudged the right side of the bed. He felt his leg and nearly started to cry in relief. It was still there. His leg was STILL THERE. Cuddy had come through for him…again. House sighed in relief, and as his joy faded the searing pain came back. He tried to open his mouth but no words seemed to be able to come out. He turned his head slightly to the left and checked his medicine. As he ascertained, the morphine drip was no where hear as much as he needed.

He turned his head the other direction into the hallway and noticed Cuddy hugging Lucas tightly. He felt his stomach drop and almost immediately began to feel nauseous. He turned his head back to the middle and looked up at the ceiling.

The door opened and he saw Cuddy walk back into the room. She smiled. "Hey. You're awake. How are you feeling?"

House picked his left arm up, slowly, and tried pointing to the machine with the morphine drip. Cuddy glanced over. "You don't need any more medicine."

House nodded, frowning. Then he made a face of pain and Cuddy uncrossed her arms, sighing. "Alright. Alright. But just a little bit more. And don't let anyone know I'm doing this or I could be overthrown from my position of power."

House, within a couple seconds, could feel some of the pain going out of his leg and he relaxed a little bit against the pillows. Cuddy pulled up a chair and sat down next to him. "Does anything else hurt? Are you having trouble remembering anything?"

House closed his eyes for a second, thinking, and then re-opened his eyes and shook his head. Cuddy seemed to sigh with relief.

House glanced back over at the doorway and saw Lucas sitting in the waiting area reading a book. House looked back over at Cuddy and then pointed at Lucas.

"We talked and he's okay with me staying here with you for a while. He understands, after all we ARE friends," she smiled back at him.

House closed his eyes again, hating that she was saying that. Hating that she was even thinking that. Hated that….hated that she would never feel the same way about him as he felt about her. House opened his eyes and looked back at Cuddy. She was watching him closely and then her face suddenly contorted. "House! Don't cry! Everything's going to be alright."

House stared at her confused, and made a face. He slowly lifted his arm up to his face and realized that he had started to cry. Cuddy had grabbed a tissue from the nightstand and was wiping his eyes and cheeks. House let her, and watched her as she cleaned him up. She was right. This WAS what he wanted.

House opened his mouth and pushed the words out of his mouth. "Thank you." They were low and raspy but it worked. Cuddy's face glowed. "You can speak!" She sighed in relief and relaxed back against the chair.

House just watched her as she got up and ran out of the room for Wilson.

MD

The next couple of days seemed to move in slow motion for House. By the second day, he was having no trouble speaking anymore and by the third day he could sit up and was beginning to eat. Cuddy and Wilson alternated sitting in with him and even members of his team came in to talk and see how he was doing. But House really only enjoyed it when Cuddy was there. The longer she was in there…the better he seemed to get.

On the fifth day, House was watching a game on television and eating his lunch when Lucas walked in. House turned and saw him and immediately switched the game off.

"So how is your leg doing?" Lucas asked. He sat down on the couch.

"Well considering…." House began sarcastically, but he changed his mind. The man came in here for a serious discussion and he didn't want Cuddy after him like a hyena.

"Doing better," he answered truthfully and picked more at his food.

"I uhhhh…." Lucas cleared his throat and watched House. "I wanted to apologize."

House stared up at him. "What?"

"I…I feel like I destroyed the friendship we had," Lucas responded. "I mean we were best buddies….!"

"Not really," House interceded.

Lucas looked a little hurt but continued. "I knew that…I knew that you felt something for Lisa but I didn't think it was anything serious you know? I mean she's got this smoking hot body and all…" Lucas seemed to stop himself that time and House was grateful.

"What I'm saying is…I still want to be your friend. And even though you are a jerk sometimes, I still think that you're kind of cool," he shrugged.

House looked up at Lucas and saw nothing but sincerity and honesty in his speech. Lucas may be a bit of a child but…he was a good guy. House couldn't deny that. And he took care of Rachel…but Cuddy didn't love him. House looked back up at Lucas before staring back down at his meal. But Cuddy didn't love HIM either. Better to be with the honest guy than the stubborn ass with the bum leg.

House looked back up again at Lucas, who seemed nervous waiting for a response. "Thanks," he said quickly before looking back down at his food.

"You're welcome," Lucas said, a little shocked at House's civil reply. "And uh…if you ever need to investigate anything else you know who to call," he smiled at House who could only watch him leave the room. House suddenly didn't feel hungry anymore and pushed his food plate away.

MD

"Lisa! You HAVE to tell him!" Wilson threw his hands in the air and put them on his head. "You can't keep this from him!"

"But he's still recovering! I don't want him to go into some sort of remission," Cuddy groaned.

Wilson shook his head angrily. "You don't understand. He will be fine but he needs to KNOW. You can't just leave this hanging in the air!"

Cuddy sighed and put her face in her hands. "It's just… James….I don't think…what will he do?"

Wilson took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm thinking…a repeat of when Stacy left him."

Cuddy's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious! All I'm doing is transferring hospitals! I'm only going to be a state away! He can come visit me. I could come and see him…"

"Yeah right. Lisa." Wilson crossed his arms. "He will see this as you leaving him. He will get upset; react like he did when Stacy left. He will never come visit you because it would be torture for him to see your happy little family. And you won't come down to see him because you'll worry that your feelings for him will come to the forefront again."

Cuddy opened her mouth to retort but knew that it was useless. Wilson was right. As usual. "Do you really think that he is actually….in love with me?" Cuddy put her hands out, an act of desperation. A pleading with Wilson for the answer to be no.

Wilson pursed his lips. "Couldn't answer that for you for sure. Maybe you should ask him yourself." Wilson walked away leaving Cuddy in the middle of the hallway alone. She turned around and walked back to House's room.

She pulled open the door without hesitation and saw him just sitting there, staring out the window.

Cuddy took a deep breath and walked over to sit down next to House. "House. I have something to tell you."

House didn't remove his gaze from the window. "I know. You're leaving."

Cuddy, disbelieving, glanced around the room. "How did you know….?"

"You told me in the elevator, remember?" House remained fixated on the window.

"Ohhh…" Cuddy had forgotten. "Well I've been accepted as hospital administrator at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. So….I'm going to be leaving soon." She finished.

House continued to stare out the window. He said nothing.

"House…don't you…don't you have some sort of sarcastic response for me?" Cuddy inquired; perplexed at the silence that was facing her.

"Lucas apologized to me. He's not so bad after all," House's voice had taken a monotonous tone devoid of emotion and Cuddy took a deep breath. "Please House," she begged. "Please don't be miserable about this okay? We never got along anyway!" Her attempts to make him feel better were pathetic excuses and she knew it.

House remained catatonic and Cuddy stood up to leave. House didn't say a word and Cuddy left the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. She turned around and Wilson was right there. She jumped and put a hand to her heart.

"Did you tell him?" Wilson asked anxiously.

Cuddy nodded and her eyes welled up. "He barely said a word. He just kept…staring out the window at something," she shook her head. "I was expecting something sarcastic something…in character! But not this," she looked back in at him. "He's…different."

"He'll come around," Wilson too was staring, concerned for House.

"Well…I'll ask him if he wants me to stay any longer," Cuddy, trying to find an excuse to go back into the room with him, opened the door and walked in followed by Wilson.

House continued to stare out the window. "Did you know that you can see Mayfield in here? All the way out in the distance?" House inquired quietly.

"No I…never noticed that before," Wilson said before glancing at a guilty Cuddy.

"Would you like me to stay with you a little longer…before I leave?" Cuddy asked him. "Lucas would understand and…I would like to see you through to recovery," she added.

House finally turned his head to face her. "Do you want to be here?"

"What?"

"Do you really want to help me or are you just being polite?"

Cuddy gazed at House, hurt. "Of course I want to! I wouldn't be in here if I didn't care!"

"You didn't care when I had to go to Mayfield," House muttered angrily and Cuddy actually felt a little relieved at the fact that he was showing emotion.

"Of course I did!" Cuddy frowned. "I helped you!"

"When?" House inquired.

"Well after Kutner died I was there to support you and when you hallucinated me I…"

"What?" House made a face.

Cuddy blinked. "Which part are you confused by?"

"The hallucination part," House responded. "I went to Mayfield because I was bothered by Kutner dying."

"Noooo" Cuddy glanced quickly at Wilson, bewildered. "After Kutner died you began to hallucinate Amber. Then you hallucinated having sex with me and thought it was real!"

"Before Mayfield," House made a gesture with his hand as if completing the sentence.

"Yes!" Cuddy nearly yelled.

"I don't remember that," House crossed his arms. "You're just making this up to…"

"House," Wilson said, frightened, "you don't remember coming to me, excited, because you thought that you had slept with Cuddy? You shouted from the balcony that you had sex with her? I took you to Mayfield…"

"Yes I remember you taking me to Mayfield," House answered annoyed.

"House if you're playing a joke…" Wilson started.

"I'm not playing a joke!" House yelled, frustrated. "I don't remember any hallucinations!"

Cuddy and Wilson turned to each other, horrified. "He's forgotten," Cuddy whispered.

_So I hope that you liked the new chapter! I had all my ideas before I started writing but I didn't feel quite on the ball tonight so I apologize if any characters are OOC! _


	13. Starting Over

Starting Over

_So here we are! The 13__th__ and last installment of "Elevator Music." This was an absolute BLAST to write! I want to thank all of my reviewers for their ideas, reactions, concerns, criticisms, praise, etc, etc for my story I appreciated hearing from every one of you. I know some of you may be questioning House's brain loss, Cuddy's choice, and the future of Huddy but, don't worry, it will all be fixed in this chapter. Enjoy : )_

Wilson opened and closed his mouth a few times. "House…you seemed to have suffered some brain loss from your surgery."

House was beginning to grow agitated. "Well considering that I don't remember it, it can't affect me. Therefore, making a big deal out of all this is pointless am I right?" His arms were crossed, his sarcastic stance, and he was looking between his two friends.

"Yeah but…" Cuddy started and then stopped. She looked at Wilson. "Maybe…maybe this is a blessing in disguise. If he doesn't remember…"

"House would want to remember this!" Wilson insisted through his teeth, quietly.

"You don't have to talk about me like I'm not here," House yelled from across the room, which was only a couple feet.

Wilson took Cuddy by the arm and dragged her out of the room shutting the door behind him. "This is bad. If he doesn't remember this, how much more has he forgotten?"

"James," Cuddy pried his fingers off of her arm. "He remembers who we all are, remembers Kutner, remembers Lucas, Amber…I don't see where anymore brain damage could come in. And if there was more, how much harm would it really cause him?"

"Hmmm….I don't know…maybe his ability to diagnose patients!" Wilson retorted.

Cuddy bit her lip and glanced back into the room. "Do you really think that…he has been damaged that much?"

"He was in cardiac arrest for a long time, Cuddy. I'm surprised that we haven't found more brain damage," Wilson replied solemnly. He opened the door back into the room to find House staring out the window again at Mayfield. "House…we are going to need to run some more tests to make sure that there are no significant portions of your brain that are damaged. If there are…"

"I can still diagnose a patient," House snapped, as if reading their minds.

"I would still like to make sure that everything is okay," Wilson continued. He turned to Cuddy. "I'm going to go get Foreman."

MD

Foreman, Thirteen, Taub, Chase, Wilson, and Cuddy were crammed into the small room, watching the screen as House got an MRI.

"No lesions, bumps, or tissue damage in the amygdala…" Foreman continued as he walked through the brain.

"Yes but the problem is in his memory. Don't you think that you should be looking at that cerebral cortex?" Taub questioned.

Foreman turned around in his seat and gave Taub an evil eye and he immediately shut up. "I need to check all parts of the brain to make sure that the brain damage is localized and not scattered across multiple…..here it is." Foreman stopped.

All the doctors immediately leaned in and Foreman pointed to a tiny little lesion on House's left frontal cortex.

"So…what does this mean you think?" Thirteen asked, scared.

"It means that oxygen deprivation caused a slight lesion in his brain that is irreversible. Whatever memories that he has lost are permanently lost."

"Are there any more ways to figure out what memories he has lost?" Cuddy asked.

"No. I'm guessing that he is missing just small fragments here and there in his memory. Obviously nothing extremely important. And…I don't think that it should have any effect on his diagnostic medicine."

They all breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Can I PLEASE come out of here now?" House whined from within the machine. "I have to pee!"

Foreman rolled his eyes and clicked the microphone. "Yes, House. We are done. Go to the bathroom."

Cuddy and Wilson walked out of the room, both in high spirits. "This is good. That could have been way worse," Wilson said.

Cuddy nodded.

Wilson glanced at her sideways. "Are you alright? You seem a little…not that excited."

Cuddy sighed. "Well Lucas and I are leaving in a week. I'm just worried about House. Now that he's lost some memory…"

"You can't fix it Cuddy," Wilson put a hand on her shoulder. "And it's not really all that bad. I can take care of him."

Cuddy took a deep breath and nodded before turning and walking back to her office.

MD

Cuddy picked up another medical book and placed it in a box. She brushed a piece of hair from her face and leaned over to the ground, picking up a humongous medical journal and plopped it on top. She wiped her hands on her skirt and looked up, nearly having a heart attack when she noticed House standing there.

"Geez. I'm guessing that you are not going to start to knock now that I'm leaving?"

"Nope!" House responded casually. He sat down on one of her chairs, put his feet up on the desk, and popped a red lollipop in his mouth. "Sooo…..boss. Who is coming to replace you?"

"His name is Ryan Dennings," Cuddy said. She walked past House and pushed his feet off the table. "He was the Dean of Medicine at Mercy and…"

"I know who he is," House interrupted, putting his feet back onto the desk. "And he is a dick. Why did you have to pick him?"

"I didn't PICK him," Cuddy said, walking back to her desk and pushing House's feet off again, "he applied for the position and got it. He's a good doctor."

"And he's a dick!" House sucked on the lollipop some more and pulled it out of his mouth. "He hates me and will fire me."

Cuddy stopped and leaned over her desk, placing her hands on the top. "No. Because I made one of the conditions for getting hired here that you are not fire-able."

"Seriously?" House's mouth dropped.

"Well…unless you shoot someone, or purposely kill a patient or something….yeah." Cuddy smiled.

House nodded, satisfied. "That….is a pretty impressive move Dr. Cuddy."

"I have to watch out for my doctors," Cuddy smiled fondly and turned back to squeezing another picture frame into one of her bags.

"Not anymore," House said, a little harshly, and Cuddy looked up, wounded. "Don't do this right now House, please."

"Well it's true," House continued. He took his feet off the table and sat up in his chair. "We are Dick Denning's doctors now."

Cuddy said nothing and returned to stuffing her laptop bag, trying to hide her hurt. House said nothing for a couple more minutes. "Did you change your mind about loving Lucas?"

Cuddy stopped, but didn't look up; she remained leaning over her bag her hair in her face. She gripped onto the edge of it. "House…" she began warningly.

"So it was okay to be honest with me in the elevator but not now?" House pushed.

Cuddy stood straight up looking at House directly in the face. She looked over at the wall before turning back to him. "No. I don't love Lucas."

"Then why are you leaving?" House enquired casually, but his deep blue eyes were pleading.

"Because I don't want to give up my last chance of happiness," Cuddy said quietly. She looked down and then back up, her eyes glistening. "There, that's the truth. He's my last chance, House. If I don't go with Lucas, I'll be alone the rest of my life," her voice wavered and she stopped to go back to packing.

"What if he's not your last chance?" House tried again.

"He is," Cuddy insisted.

House looked down at his hands, feeling the last ounce of hope draining out of him. She would never feel the same way about him as he felt about her. She may not love Lucas, but she didn't love him. House had to accept that.

He picked his head up. "I'll miss you."

Cuddy's head popped up, and she stared at House, amazed, and then once she realized he was being serious, felt a sharp stab in her chest.

"I'll miss you too House," she said, her voice shaking with emotion. She walked out from behind the desk. "I'm sorry about your…leg."

House snorted. "Like it's your fault."

Cuddy felt a sense of relief that he didn't blame her for it and that removed a large part of the cloud that had been following her around the past couple of weeks.

"Lucas is coming to pick me up in about five minutes," Cuddy said awkwardly. "I'll be back for my stuff tomorrow but then…that's it."

House nodded and suddenly walked over to the doors of her office, opened them, and walked out. Cuddy stared after him, frowning, as he grabbed something from a nurse and walked back in. He walked up to her and handed her his giant red ball that he kept on his desk. "Here. I want you to have this."

Cuddy looked down at it in awe, and took it. "But House…this is what you use to come up with those crazy ideas of yours!"

House shrugged. "I have other ones. I figured that it would be more useful to you. You can juggle it around and pretend you are actually a doctor," he cracked.

Cuddy, suddenly overcome by emotion, flung her arms around House without thinking and hugged him tight. House, taken by surprise, stood there for a second, unsure what to do, his arms at his sides. Then he threw his cane on the couch and wrapped his arms around her. They stood there for a couple minutes.

House pulled away first. "Well Lucas is going to be here, I better go," House stated, walking away and ignoring the tears coursing down Cuddy's face.

Cuddy nodded and sat back down at her desk. She picked up the ball and began rolling it around in her hands when she noticed that he had written across the middle in red sharpie, _"You DO make me feel funny."_

Cuddy couldn't take it anymore. She put her head down on her desk and cried.

MD

Lucas walked into Cuddy's office a couple minutes later to find her with her head down on her desk, her entire body shaking.

Lucas stood in the doorway, unsure of what to do. "Lisa? Are you alright?"

"No," Cuddy's voice came up through her hands, mumbled.

"What's wrong?" Lucas walked up to the desk and put a hand on her shoulder. Cuddy didn't move. "I CAN'T do this Lucas," Cuddy mumbled.

"What?"

"I CAN'T do this," Cuddy repeated, picking her face up.

"What do you mean 'you can't do this?' As in you can't leave?" Lucas cried.

Cuddy shook her head. "I can't leave here Lucas. I can't leave this hospital. I can't leave House." She touched his ball on the desk, lightly.

"I don't understand," Lucas said. "You were fine with the plan. Now all of a sudden you aren't? What did he say to you?!" His tone switched to accusatory.

Cuddy shook her head again. "Nothing. He didn't say anything to me. I just realized that…that this is where I belong. This is my hospital. I love everyone here. Leaving it…" Cuddy turned to face him.

"I get it. You love House."

"No! I mean…Lucas!" Cuddy stood up and put her hands on his shoulders. "I care about House very much. And I realized that just now. He's a large part of my life, and he always has been. I can't just throw that out the window."

Lucas said nothing.

"But I also learned…I also learned that I don't think I'm…really in love with you," Cuddy answered truthfully her voice shaking. "I think I was in love with being in love. I loved you for taking care of Rachel, I loved you for being there, but I don't think that…I really love YOU." Cuddy's lip quivered.

Lucas, sensing her sadness and honesty, knew that responding angrily would be a bad idea. "So this means that we are breaking up."

Cuddy frowned. "No! No Lucas I never said that! I think that we should continue to take it slowly and maybe I can learn to love you. But I want to stay here."

Lucas looked down. "I don't think that will work, Lisa. House will always be in the way."

"What?"

Lucas moved away from Cuddy and sat down on the couch. "I love you Lisa. I really do. A lot. I am ready right now to settle down and live with you. Yet, you are telling me that you don't even love me?" His voice was wounded and it pained Cuddy.

"You aren't going to love me. Not now, not ever. Because as much as you want to deny it you love House. And you always have. I can't be that person standing in the way anymore."

"But you don't…"

Lucas stood up and took her hands. "Lisa. You can't even leave a hospital to work at another one only a couple miles away."

"Lucas, we can still be friends," Cuddy protested. "You can come over to visit Rachel…we can hang out," she attempted.

Lucas shook his head vigorously. "No. I will be reminded, every time, that I love you and can't truly be with you. I can't take that. So I better say good-bye." Lucas leaned in and kissed her lightly on the mouth before squeezing her hand. "You are a wonderful person. Have a fantastic life." He turned around and walked out the door.

"Lucas?" Cuddy called out pitifully. But he had already gone.

MD

House was sitting at his desk and flipping through a Playboy magazine. Wilson walked into the doorway slowly, closing it behind him.

House glanced up and then back down at his reading. "So…Cuddy gone now? It's…" He looked down at his watch. "Two in the afternoon."

"No," Wilson said.

House frowned. "Today is the day that she is leaving. She was scheduled to leave at one thirty and it's now two. She is never late."

"She's not leaving."

House put his magazine down. "What?!"

Wilson walked up to the desk. "Nancy down at the circulation desk said that she and Lucas broke up yesterday. Cuddy has been unpacking her stuff all day."

House made a face. "That doesn't make sense…"

Wilson shrugged. "Well why don't you go and talk to her about it? I think she needs someone right now."

House, without thinking, got up and walked out. Wilson let him go.

House waltzed into Cuddy's office where he saw her staring off into space, twirling his ball around in her hands. Her eyes were puffy and it looked like she had made next to no progress on the unpacking.

House stood there for a couple seconds, waiting for her to speak first. She did. "Lucas and I broke up yesterday."

"Why?" House asked, carefully.

"I told him that I didn't love him and wanted to stay here." Cuddy looked over at him. "He was my last chance."

House walked up slowly to her desk. "No he wasn't Cuddy. You're only forty four."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Only." Her face contorted again and she had to work hard to keep back the tears. "Another relationship destroyed at the hands of Lisa Cuddy."

House said nothing. Cuddy suddenly stood up. "Ugh! This place is a mess!" She started moving around to put stuff back and House started helping.

"You don't have to…" Cuddy started.

"I don't have a case," he interrupted. "It's this or read Playboy and the new issue doesn't have skimpy enough bathing suits."

Cuddy couldn't help but laugh a little bit. The two continued talking and joking as they put Cuddy's room back together. Wilson peeked in a half hour later and watched in, smiling to himself. He felt like a big weight had been lifted off his chest and he sighed and walked away grinning, eliciting a few interested looks from the nurses milling around the lobby.

After finishing up the room a couple hours later, House turned to Cuddy. "You know…I never did challenge you to a re-match after that poker game…"

"You mean the one where you had Wilson playing for you while you were upstairs killing a little boy?"

"Yup!" House grinned. "I challenge you now. I got a new set of chips and just went to the ATM."

Cuddy smiled. "You're on!" She followed House out of her office and stopped, putting a hand on his arm. "Hey. Thanks."

"For what?" House was confused.

"For being there," Cuddy looked grateful. "You were a friend and I didn't know…." She trailed off. "I'm sorry for underestimating you."

House raised an eyebrow. "And I'm sorry for underestimating YOU in poker." He walked over to the elevator and punched the up button with his cane. Cuddy had halted in the hallway.

"Well are you coming?" House asked as he walked into the elevator.

"I think that I'm going to take the steps," Cuddy gulped.

House rolled his eyes as the doors started to shut. At the last second, Cuddy rushed forward and stopped the door without thinking. Her heart racing, she stepped inside and felt herself start to sweat.

"Relax. Geez we aren't going to get trapped again."

Cuddy suddenly frowned. "Do you…do you hear elevator music?" She turned to House.

House stared at her frowning. "There has always been elevator music in here. Even when we were in here for twelve hours."

"I never noticed it before."

House faced her. "I've always thought it was incredibly obvious."

Cuddy made a face. "I guess it was. But I'm glad that I realized it was here. It's kinda nice."

The doors dinged and the two doctors exited the elevator, the elevator music trailing behind them.

_The end! I hope that you all liked it! : ) I am hoping to start a new story too but it's going to depend on my semester I think. And I have a Law and Order S.V.U. fanfic that is started and I need to finish that as well. Thanks again everyone!_


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